Mission Statement

(Long Island City Artists) LIC Artists, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) arts advocacy organization founded by artists in 1985 and incorporated in 1986 in Long Island City. 

LIC-A's Gallery space is generously donated by the Factory LIC. Its members are professional artists from Long Island City as well as elsewhere in Queens & the NYC area. LIC-A's programs are enabled largely through the volunteer work of member artists and supported by grants and donations. LIC-A is committed to broadening its community of multidisciplinary artists, and expanding the audience for art produced in Queens through exhibitions, classes, special projects and events including the annual LIC Arts Open Studios festival.

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History and programs
LIC-A began when a group of artists in what was then a sparsely residential section of Long Island City joined together in mutual support. Its member base of more than 200 artists now reflects the broad diversity of Queens, encompassing those with a national and international presence as well as those whose careers are just beginning to take off. While it still presents member-only exhibitions, LIC-A has expanded to serve as a hub for all interested artists to support each other with a yearly roster of open-call exhibitions curated by established and emerging arts professionals. With a move to its current donated location in 2022, LIC-A became a full-service arts center, offering a slate of arts workshops for adults and children and serving as a venue for events by a range of emerging and established performing arts organizations including Fountain House, Brick House, Queens College, BQE Collective and many others.s, LIC-A showcases monthly exhibitions & workshops, free and open to the public.