For a growing number of culture seekers in Queens, you can’t spell arts without Astoria.
The latest addition to the blossoming arts hub is a recent move by the Queens Council on the Arts to 35th Ave. from Woodhaven.
The organization chose the new location due to its proximity to other cultural venues, said Executive Director Hoong Yee Lee Krakauer.
“There is a world of emerging art in Astoria,” she said. “Within a one-block radius, the world of film, visual art and theater are merging.”
The Museum of the Moving Image is located directly across the street from the council’s new digs.
Carl Goodman, executive director of the museum, said Astoria arts scene is enjoying unprecedented attention.
“Today, the museum has more than doubled its annual attendance,” he said. “An increasing number of New York day trippers, tourists and new residents are spending time here.”
Officials with the Astoria Performing Arts Center, also located nearby, said they have seen a renaissance transform the community.
“We have seen our audiences expand and diversify as the neighborhood evolves and becomes more and more of a destination spot for people seeking new cultural experiences,” said Taryn Sacramone, the center’s executive director.
Rob MacKay of the Queens Tourism Council said Astoria has become a unique spot in the city due to its wealth of cultural venues.
“Astoria is the biggest arts center in the city per capita,” he said.
“Queens Council on the Arts is now next to a world-renowned museum, an internationally famous film studio and many galleries,” MacKay added, referring to the Museum of the Moving Image and Kaufman Astoria Studios.
Kaufman, where “Sesame Street” is filmed, plans to open the city’s only outdoor movie set this summer on 36th St., between 34th and 35th Aves. The outdoor set, where car chases can be shot without film crews occupying entire city blocks, is expected to attract even more film and TV productions to the area.
Krakauer said her organization hopes to enrich the already bountiful cultural destination.
“Queens Council on the Arts is excited to be part of the Kaufman Astoria cultural campus,” she said. “Its new multipurpose creative space adds to this diverse and vibrant neighborhood and will host individual arts, arts organizations, art students and borough residents.”
City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria) the Queens Council on the Arts “could not have picked a better location for its new headquarters.”
“There is a bright future for the arts in Astoria,” he said.
