Maquette for Queens: Festival” (for Joseph P. Addabbo Federal Building, Jamaica, New York)

Copied Howardena Pindell, Maquette for "Queens: Festival" (for Joseph P. Addabbo Federal Building, Jamaica, New York), 1986, acrylic gel, paint, paper, and colored reproductions on paper mounted on canvas, 10 1814in. (25.735.5cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, Art-in-Architecture Program, 1994.84.3, © 1984, Howardena Doreen Pindell

Artwork Details

Title
Maquette for Queens: Festival” (for Joseph P. Addabbo Federal Building, Jamaica, New York)
Date
1986
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
10 1814in. (25.735.5cm)
Copyright
© 1984, Howardena Doreen Pindell
Credit Line
Transfer from the General Services Administration, Art-in-Architecture Program
Mediums
Mediums Description
acrylic gel, paint, paper, and colored reproductions on paper mounted on canvas
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure group
  • Cityscape
  • Abstract
  • Study — sculpture model
  • Architecture Exterior — commercial
  • Architecture Exterior — commercial — skyscraper
Object Number
1994.84.3

Artwork Description

In 1989, Howardena Pindell was one of eight African American artists commissioned to create a work of art for the new Joseph P. Addabbo Social Security Center in Jamaica, New York. In the wake of the controversy surrounding Richard Serra’s Tilted Arc, the General Services Administration wanted the South Jamaica installation to represent the neighborhood. Since South Jamaica is predominantly African American, GSA dedicated the installation to “the creativity of black artists.” Pindell hoped to capture a sense of place in Queens: Festival and so took photographs throughout the borough. For the final work, she selected twenty-two images that she felt reflected the landscape and people and painted them in a variety of styles to underscore the artistic diversity of the community.