Pasar Malam New York:
Taste of Merdeka 2026
Saturday, August 15, 12-9pm
A taste of home. A celebration for everyone. Discover authentic Indonesian cuisine, vibrant entertainment, and the warmth of community at Pasar Malam New York: Taste of Merdeka 2026.
Pasar Malam New York: Taste of Merdeka 2026 is an Indonesian cultural and culinary festival featuring authentic food, live entertainment, local vendors, and family-friendly experiences in New York.
MANSE: Full Bloom
Korean Art & Culture Gathering
Saturday, August 15, 4-10pm
MANSE 2026: Full Bloom is the main gathering of MANSE 2026, a Korean art & culture series shaped around Korean Liberation Day.
On August 15, MANSE gathers at Culture Lab LIC for an evening of performance, music, marketplace, food & drinks, participatory programs, and Korean visual archive.
The event brings together Korean and Korean-diaspora creatives, local communities, artists, makers, performers, vendors, cultural partners, families, elders, friends, and neighbors.
MANSE asks what we want to carry forward, what we want to plant for the future, and how culture can continue through gathering.
Guests can expect an evening of Korean art, food, sound, memory, and community, including:
● Live performances and DJ sets
● Curated marketplace
● Food & drink offerings
● Participatory programs and activations
● Korean photo and moving image archive
● Community gathering moments
● Opportunities to meet Korean and Korean-diaspora creatives in New York
Full performers, vendors, partners, sponsors, and program details will be announced soon.
Co-produced with Culture Lab LIC
Presented by gong & Eight Times (8X)
In partnership with Korea Art Forum
Executive Director / Program Curator: Xung Sunghyun Jang
Exhibition Director: Hyuk Kwon
Exhibition Curator: Anajoara Eom
Tickets are limited and advance reservation is strongly encouraged.
LIVE in
THE LOT
2026
Live in The Lot is our free summer concert series, featuring live music every weekend!
Note: In the event of inclement weather, outdoor events may be held indoors.
RSVP: https://events.humanitix.com/live-in-the-lot
Click Here for schedule!
Schedule subject to change. Be sure to check Culture Lab LIC on Instagram and Facebook for latest schedule and lineup updates.
For six years, Culture Lab LIC has brought people together through free music, art, theater, festivals, and community events. This summer, thousands of people will attend programs here at Culture Lab. As the cost of everything continues to rise, we believe access to arts and culture shouldn't.
As we continue another season of free programming, we're asking one simple question: Can we raise $7,000 in 31 days to help Keep Summer Free?
DONATE NOW TO KEEP THE SUMMER FREE
Or, if you'd rather wear your support, our new summer merch is available now as a part of Keep The Summer Free!
LIC Summer Wellness Series
Presented by Sputnik Yoga
Join Sputnik Yoga this summer at Culture Lab LIC for a series of community wellness sessions designed to bring people together through movement, music, and mindfulness.
Each event offers a unique experience inspired by the energy of the season — from grounding yoga and Pride celebration to immersive movement and sound.
These outdoor sessions are open to all levels and welcome anyone looking to reconnect with their body, breath, and community.
Host: Sputnik Yoga
Level: All levels welcome
What to bring: Yoga mat, water, comfortable clothing
Saturday, August 15, 1-2pm
TBD Restore
Featuring work by:
Natali Bravo-Barbee
Mia Brownell
Elizabeth Caputo
Gene Coffey
Kesha Dalal
Demetrios Elias
Jennifer Formica
Devon Grimes
Carmella Gullo
Sara Howsam
Kathleen Erin Lee
Dianne Martin
Patrick Neal
Anna Paola Pizzocaro
Isaac Ramos
Melissa Replogle
Jennifer Saftler
Gildo Spado
James Stamboni
Joanne Steinhardt
Christl Stringer
Eesha Suntai
Kim Suttell
Zifan Wang
New Art Exhibition
Hidden Stories
The Secret Language of Still Life & Floriography
Exhibition on View August 13 - September 27
Join us at Culture Lab LIC for Hidden Stories: The Secret Language of Still Life & Floriography, an exhibition curated by Tess Howsam.
Still lifes in today's art scene are often associated with the pedagogical. For many artists, it is one of the first modes through which they learn to see and translate the world around them. Yet to frame still life solely as an introductory practice is to overlook the depth and complexity embedded within its history.
Still lifes have historically carried layered meanings, from studies of daily life to functioning as poignant memento mori. Many art historians point to the rich symbolism embedded within these works as a way of understanding the values and concerns of their time. This raises a compelling question: what stories or messages do today’s still lifes capture?
This exhibition situates contemporary still life within its historical lineage, while expanding its language through the parallel framework of floriography—the coded symbolism of flowers. Historically also used to communicate what could not be spoken openly, floriography offers a subtle yet potent vocabulary of emotion, resistance, and intention. When placed in dialogue with still life, these two traditions reveal a shared capacity for concealment and disclosure.
In reexamining still life, this exhibition proposes that these “still” objects are anything but passive and flowers are more than just beautiful. Instead, they are active carriers of meaning—holding within them the possibility of reflection, critique, and transformation.
Thanks to our sponsors:
Plaxall
TF Cornerstone
Steve Madden
Howard Gilman Foundation
Paragon LIC Condos
Sunset
JAZZ
LIC's favorite local jazz night is back!
Enjoy live jazz performances, cool libations, and great vibes in an intimate art gallery space every Friday at 8 PM.
Always free and open to the community.
Seating is limited, so get here early!
master-plan presents
First President of Japan and OK King
Thursday, August 20, 7-11pm
Do you like your rock music up close and in your face?
Are you looking to get your blood pumping and your head spinning?
Then you need a heavy dose of First President of Japan and OK King, two of the most colorful and engaging bands on the local scene. We guarantee this show will rule.
Doors at 7pm
Show at 8pm
master-plan.rocks is a nonprofit for rock n' roll. We provide funding to create and produce intimate live recordings, studio time, and the production of vinyl for the bands we love.
New York Immersive Invitational
Sunday, August 23, 1-8pm
Experience the inaugural New York Immersive Invitational, a one-night festival celebrating the boldest ideas in immersive theatre.
Five immersive creators from across New York City have accepted an extraordinary challenge: conceive, design, build, rehearse, and premiere an entirely new immersive experience in less than 48 hours. The result is an evening of daring, unpredictable, and wholly original work that can only exist for this moment.
The New York Immersive Invitational is both an incubator for immersive art and a celebration of the creative process itself. Audiences have the rare opportunity to experience ambitious new work at its earliest stage—to step inside ideas before they evolve into fully realized productions. Some pieces may never be seen again. Others may go on to become the next acclaimed immersive experience.
Following five successful editions in Los Angeles and a recent expansion to Denver, the Immersive Invitational makes its New York debut, bringing this unique creative challenge to one of the world's most vibrant immersive theatre communities. Each iteration showcases a new lineup of local artists, ensuring that every Invitational is a one-of-a-kind celebration of the creativity and innovation that define its home.
Whether you're a longtime fan of immersive theatre or discovering the art form for the first time, the NYC Immersive Invitational invites you to experience five original immersive worlds—all in a single unforgettable evening.
Performances at: 1pm, 4pm, and 6:30pm
NYC Plant Market
NYC Plant Market is more than a marketplace for plants. It’s a movement to reconnect New Yorkers with nature.
We bring together local plant shops, independent growers, and small nurseries across the city for a once-a-month curated community market that celebrates urban greening. From rare aroids, beginner houseplants, to handmade ceramic planters, we cultivate not just plants, but a green urban community. Our mission is to make green living accessible, sustainable, and rooted in local culture.
Whether you are a beginner or practically Mother Nature, this plant market is for you. Come join the party and learn a thing or two about nature and plants from the community that loves them.
Free entry, but donations are encouraged and highly appreciated.
NYC Plant Market is a project of Corse Design in collaboration with Culture Lab LIC.
2026 Schedule:
• August 23
• September 20
• October 18
REVERB: Eve Adams’ Tearoom
Thursday, Aug 27, 7-10pm
American LGBTQ+ Museum and Culture LAB LIC welcome you to REVERB: Eve Adams’ Tearoom, a night of lecture and performance that pays homage to Adams' lesbian literary salon of 1925 Greenwich Village. A Polish-Jewish feminist, radical activist, and writer, Eve Adams published her collection of short stories and illustrations, Lesbian Love, which gave an unprecedented voice to the lives of her sapphic community. Eve’s Hangout (as it was officially called), was the first openly lesbian nightclub in New York City, and laid the groundwork for sapphic spaces that would emerge throughout the next century. Enjoy a cup of tea at the salon, be transported with dramatic readings from early lesbian literature, follow the trail she blazed to sapphic spaces of today, and leave inspired by this inspirational literary icon.
ABOUT REVERB: COLLABORATION WITH AMERICAN LGBTQ+ MUSEUM
An immersive program series that connects the echoes of queer history to the present through captivating history lessons and live performances. Each event features a blend of lectures, music, dance, and interactive experiences, all set within a casual, speakeasy atmosphere. Participants can explore archival materials and ephemera that highlight a unique aspect of queer history, showcasing how its reverberations continue to shape and influence the LGBTQ+ community. Reverb creates a space to cultivate a deeper connection to queer history through both education and expression.
ABOUT AMERICAN LGBTQ+ MUSEUM
The American LGBTQ+ Museum (ALM) preserves, investigates, and celebrates the dynamic histories and cultures of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, as well as those of the emergent and adjacent identities among our communities. Using exhibitions and programs, we seek to advance LGBTQ+ equality through the lens of social justice movements, including, but not limited to, race, gender, class, immigration, and disability.
Follow us and learn more at https://americanlgbtqmuseum.org
SpeakEasier Language Exchange
SpeakEasier was created in 2024 by Daniela Cantillo to celebrate and foster multilingualism in New York City. In early 2025, SpeakEasier partnered with Culture Lab LIC to bring to life the monthly SpeakEasier Language Exchange, where intermediate-to-advanced target speakers of Arabic, French, Farsi, and Spanish come together to practice their speaking skills through engaging conversation.
Meet ups will be held on the fourth Saturday of every month.
Follow SpeakEasier on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, and for language practice tips and insights right to your inbox, sign up for the newsletter here!
August 29, 2026
September 26, 2026
October 24, 2026
November 28, 2026
Pawp-Up in The Lot
"Pawp-Ups" are back at Culture Lab LIC!
Previously known as our "Pup-Ups", we are making sure to include our feline friends!
Join us 1-4pm on the first Sunday of every month from May-Oct as local rescues pawp-up with dogs and cats in need of fosters and forever homes!
Already have a furry bestie? Bring them along and meet other pet owners in the community, browse pet apparel, services, food & treats among local vendors! And since our gallery is dog friendly, you can browse the exhibits - make sure to stop at our front desk for complimentary treats!
Vendor slots are filling up but we're still looking for folks who think the animal community will benefit/appreciate your goods and services!
-Food & Treats
-Services (walker, daycare, groomers)
-Pet Apparel/Gear
-Pet portraits
We're especially grateful to @bondvet for their sponsorship this year, ensuring animals get adopted and local businesses thrive!
Upcoming Dates:
September 6
October 4
No, YOU Tell It!
“Passage”
True-Life Tales with a Twist
Thursday, September 24, 7 - 8:30pm
No, YOU Tell It! storytellers collaborate to develop true tales on the page, then swap stories to embody their story partner’s culture, identity, and life experience on stage.
For this special Queens Bookend Event, produced in partnership with Culture Lab LIC, we’ve teamed up with New Women New Yorkers in support of their mission to empower immigrant women and share their stories.
Come celebrate the “Passage” stories of where we come from and where we are headed. Plus, story trivia for literary prizes.
5 Boro Foto Fest
Sunday, Oct 25, 11am - 6pm
Collaboration between The Phoblographer, Corse Design, Mallon Productions, and Culture Lab LIC
The First Ever 5 Boro Foto Fest Brings Local Photographers and Authenticity; Only Original Prints and Guaranteed No Generative AI.
5 Boro Foto Fest aims to do for the arts something that hasn’t been done before: giving local photographers their own artist’s alley-type festival for them to bring authenticity to the masses.
Joining the photographers will be galleries, photo collectives, and indie storefronts will gather to exhibit printed collectibles for sale. These include fine art prints, zines, books, mixed media, and various other ways that photographs are brought to life.
“I’ve been looking around at the world of photography and saw the threat that generative AI poses to replace us,” said Chris Gampat, the founder and Editor in Chief of the Phoblographer as well as the founder of the 5 Boro Foto Fest. “This event is designed to remind people that photographers are capable of making your jaw drop with moments that you don’t even notice every day.”
The 5 Boro Foto Fest, which has free entry, will bring together both new and famous photographers along with galleries, inclusive collectives, and even some of your favorite bookstores that sell art books. Expect to take home prints to hang on your wall, zines to keep by your desk, books to adorn on your coffee table, and other artistic creations using photographs.
Frozen In Time
The Art of Richard Bello
Exhibition on view April 2 - May 31, 2026 during normal gallery hours: Thursday & Friday, 5-9pm, and Saturday & Sunday, 2-9pm
Thanks to our sponsors: Plaxall Properties, Steve Madden, TF Cornerstone, Douglaston Development, Paragon LIC, Schuman Properties, SPR Law, Howard Gilman Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts
Open Call
Form & Function
The Art of Graphic Design
Submission Deadline: 11:59pm EST, August 31
Exhibition on view: October 1 - Nov 1, 2026
Graphic design, often relegated to a commercial or functional category, is a practice rich with visual innovation, conceptual depth, and emotional resonance. "Form & Function" will present a curated selection of graphic design works that transcend their immediate commercial purpose, demonstrating mastery of composition, color, typography, and image-making on par with fine art.
The show appeals to a broad audience such as design professionals, art enthusiasts, and the general public by engaging with a medium they encounter daily. It will stimulate debate, draw new demographics to the gallery, and position the organization as a thought leader in contemporary visual culture. We seek to definitively argue that when driven by aesthetic intent, conceptual rigor, and expressive freedom, graphic design is undeniably art.
New Works Lab 2026
We are proud to announce and congratulate our 2026 New Works Lab Residents (previous Emergence Artist in Residence)!
Lucier&Rose @lucierandrose
notAmuse Theater @notamuse_theater
Jiemin Yang @jiemin.art
Barkha Dance Company @barkha_dance
Culture Lab LIC's New Works Lab is a developmental performing arts program geared toward the support and creation of new work.
Started in 2021 by former Director of Performing Arts, Tana Sirois, the residency began as a desire to offer free rehearsal and performance space to performing artists. Since its conception the residency has been further developed and led by Artistic Director Tess Howsam expanding the program to include peer review sessions during the artists year and culminating in Culture Lab LIC’s New Works Festival November and December.
Thanks to our sponsors: Plaxall Properties, Steve Madden, TF Cornerstone, Douglaston Development, Paragon LIC, Schuman Properties, SPR Law, Howard Gilman Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts
Culture Lab LIC is One of Boasts Best of LIC
The results are in, and we are thrilled to announce that Culture Lab LIC has been voted a BOAST: Best of Astoria & LIC 2025 Winner!
We are so excited, proud and grateful to the community for their votes and support!
In the DO & SEE section, we were voted:
• Best Museum
• Best Organization or Cause to Contribute To
• Best Performing Arts Venue
• Best Place for Live Music
Become a Member!
Culture Lab LIC is celebrating 5 years & we need you to help us build the next 5!
Thanks to you, in 2024 our mission to bring impactful art to Western Queens has flourished beyond our wildest dreams. Your contributions--whether through donations, volunteer efforts, or simply by spreading the word about our initiatives --have helped us to make a profound difference in the lives of artists and art lovers in our community.
Your generous support not only fueled our programs but also directly impacted the artists we serve, providing them with invaluable opportunities and resources, and a platform to share their stories, visions, and inspirations with the world.
With your continued support in the coming year, we aim to expand our reach, continue to present local and international artists, and further enrich our community through art.
Here are 3 ways you can help...
Donate so we can continue to present the great art & events you love.
Help us keep our doors open by becoming an Official Sponsor!
Our ART GALLERY is open Thursday & Friday, 5-9pm, and Saturday & Sunday, 2-10pm. Keep your eye on our social media for updates on our upcoming theatre, dance and comedy performances!
As a member of Culture Lab LIC, you directly support dozens of arts, cultural and neighborhood organizations enjoyed by the entire community. As a Thank You for your awesomeness, each of our membership levels offer something for everyone: $2 off drinks, early viewings to monthly exhibitions, artists talks, Culture Lab LIC swag, and discounts to theater, dance, music concerts, and special events. We have an exciting season ahead of us and we cannot wait to share it with you!
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NYC Council Member Julie Won
NYC State Senator Kristen Gonzalez
Karen Dimit in Loving Memory of Greg Dimit
