April 13th, 2026. Queens Rising, the borough-wide multidisciplinary arts celebration, officially kicked off its fifth annual month-long festival with an energizing launch event at the Queens Museum in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. The event set the tone for the June-long celebration of Queens’ rich cultural and creative diversity, with remarks from cultural leaders and a special preview of the exciting programs to come.
The launch event united performers, curators, arts leaders, and community advocates in a collective celebration of Queens’ creative ecosystem. Shanice Figeroux, a Queens-based visual artist, muralist and longtime supporter of Queens Rising, was on stage, live painting, and said, “There are so many opportunities in the building to collaborate with other creatives, organizations, and art programming and as an individual artist, this was so needed because I was looking for a home.”
“Five years [later], we are gathered here together as a community of artists, arts organizations, and artist supporters to celebrate and illuminate the vibrant cultural landscape of our favorite borough, Queens, and to share today what Queens Rising will present this June across the borough.”Jeff Rosenstock, Assistant Vice President for External and Governmental Relations at Queens College
Queens Rising acts as a catalyst for collaboration, connecting artists, venues, and businesses to maximize opportunities for arts and culture to flourish in Queens. Through these connections, pathways for creativity and innovation thrive. At Queens Rising, the belief in the transformative power of art and culture to inspire, connect, and uplift communities is steadfast.
“Queens Rising celebrates not just diversity and what we see as demographics, but diversity in the arts –painters, sculptors, dancers, photographers, filmmakers, writers, poets, and more from all over the world. And their masterpieces all look and sound different, but their value to our arts, and culture seen here in Queens, is the same. And these are the people who keep the cultures of the world borough alive through art…who uplift us every year through this particular initiative, Queens Rising.. 190 countries, [and over] 360 languages of dialects are spoken in Queens County, and while Washington, DC, continues to build walls, we will continue to always build bridges in Queens County,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr.
District 21 Council member Shanel Thomas-Henry, along with the inaugural lead sponsor of Queens Rising, Lorraine Chambers-Lewis, President of LIJ/Forest Hills-Northwell Health, also came to show their support.
Events will be in collaboration with “Culture Pass, and four libraries every Thursday night in June, [including] the best foodie community event– the Queen's Night Market on Saturday, June 6th” –along with a Juneteenth event at Queens Theater, a kick off event at Resorts World, and a Pride celebration at Culture Lab, said Jeff Rosenstock.
“The world is here, so the world would be watching us. They told me to be a good neighbor to everyone around me. How can you do that without loving the arts? How can you do that without loving the culture of where you are? So, Queens Rising definitely embodies all of that. And so when we were asked to support and to be a part of it, there was no way we could do anything else than put our full weight behind this effort and we will continue to support Queens Rising in 2027,” said Michelle Stoddart, Senior Vice President of Community Development at Resorts World NYC.
The final speaker of the morning was Angelique York representing Queens World Film Festival, she said, “Do you remember me? You met me last year. I was standing, right over there, trying to be invisible. The monitor had a compilation of five young film students, but this year’s compilation is made up entirely of my work. Just one year later, I am now working on my thesis…the ecosystem you’re creating and sustaining here in Queens, make it possible for young people like me to stand here in front of you, and say, my name is Angelique York, and I am a filmmaker.”
Support for Queens Rising is provided by lead sponsor, Resorts World New York City. Additional support is provided by LIJ/Forest Hills-Northwell Health, the Howard Gilman Foundation, and the Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College.
For more information on Queens Rising and a full schedule of events, please visit https://queensrising.nyc/ or contact Nedelka Sotelo or Michelle Lema at info@queensrising.nyc.
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