The Heights are the tops!
We already know Washington Heights is an art mecca. This time, I’m talking Jackson Heights! Always willing to travel to where the art is, I zipped out to Queens for a visit to Pablo Tauler’s open studio. Chilean-born artist Tauler is not only one of the most charming individuals you’re ever likely to meet, he’s also one of the most talented — painter, sculptor, photographer, inventor — a veritable Renaissance hombre. I was especially moved by the series of photographs in metal he’s been working on, images memorializing family lost along with 30,000 others in a horrendous earthquake in Chillan, Chile in 1939.
Jackson Heights is an easy commute from Manhattan, and while Long Island City is better known as home to many of the borough’s museums and artists (P.S.1, Noguchi Museum, Sculpture Center), this neighborhood has a lot to boast about. 74th St near Roosevelt Ave is one of those places where cultures collide and coexist leaving no doubt why New York is still the best city, period. Have some amazing Indian food at Jackson Diner, or wander down the street for some Thai, Peruvian, or Equadorian eats followed by Columbian coffee and Italian pastries.
I know a number of heavy duty creatives living and working out there and won’t wait long before hopping the 7 back for more!
(Image: Pablo Tauler, photograph in solution)
May 22nd, 2006 at 9:18 pm
Thanks for the tip, Sky. I have to check this out. I was intrigued by the series on his web site called myself in other times. Self-portraiture is such a ripe fruit, but rarely this sweet.
June 8th, 2006 at 8:52 pm
[...] (view the Artists Unite Issue write-up on Tauler) [...]