Materials for the Arts

Happy Juneteenth! In observance of the holiday, MFTA is closed on Friday, June 19, and we will not be accepting donations. We will resume donation drop-offs on Monday, June 22 from 9:00am to 2:30pm, following our regular schedule.

Juneteenth celebrates a pivotal moment in American history: June 19, 1865, when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of slavery to those still being held in bo***ge. Rooted in generations of Black tradition and remembrance, the holiday gained federal recognition in 2021.

We welcome you to attend some of the amazing programming in honor of Juneteenth led by MFTA member organizations!

💛 Joe’s Pub (Joe's Pub)
Friday, June 19 | 6:30pm
The music collective Juneteenth LP (JuneteenthLP) performs classical music that grazes the edges of jazz, funk, spirituals, and the blues.

💛 Brooklyn Children’s Museum (Brooklyn Children's Museum)
Friday, June 19 | 11:00am — 3:00pm
BCM welcomes families to Shirley Chisholm Circle in Brower Park for their annual Juneteenth celebration. This commemoration features a marching band, music and dance performances, storytelling, and a book giveaway.

💛 Center for Art and Advocacy (Center for Art & Advocacy)
Friday, June 19 | 2:00 — 5:00pm
Enjoy a celebration of the exhibition closing of “A Language We Share: Beverly Price and Gordon Parks” with a live DJ set and a pop-up photobooth.

💛 Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet ()
Saturday, June 20 | 7:30pm
Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet presents a performance rooted in the belief that Black History is World History at the Polonsky Shakespeare Center.

💛 Van Cortlandt Park Alliance (Van Cortlandt Park Alliance) and BronxArtsEnsemble (Bronx Arts Ensemble)
Friday, June 19 | 4:00 — 8:00pm
Van Cortlandt Park Alliance and Bronx Arts Ensemble invite the public to an outdoor musical celebration at the Enslaved Burial Ground and the Van Cortlandt House Museum.

Photos courtesy of:
1. Jelani Ameer. Joe’s Pub.
2. Joshua Miller / Brooklyn Children’s Museum.
3. Center for Art and Advocacy. Flyer (detail) by Adam East.
4. Hollis King. Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet.
5. Van Cortlandt Park Alliance and Bronx Arts Ensemble.

Let us introduce you to the two artists whose musical abilities will rock your world this Thursday at the Materials for the Arts warehouse! 🚨

In the 1990s, covered in paint, with blackened teeth and bouffant hair, Kembra Pfahler developed a reputation for wild performances that reached far beyond the Lower East Side. Elements of Kabuki theater, surfing, bugs, and giant sharks from her legendary shows were later repurposed in her performance art.

With a primary background in classical piano and composition, Jacob Madden creates compositions and performances that communicate his experiences of love and heartbreak. His first large-scale work was a solo piano ballet created for Anne Imhof’s Doom at Park Avenue Armory, and his future projects continue this interdisciplinary approach through collaboration and the reimagining of classical forms.

This Thursday, June 18, from 6:30 to 8:30pm, Pfahler and her band, The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black, will grace our warehouse for a once-in-a-lifetime performance, accompanied by a new work on piano by Madden. Attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in a book signing of the newly-released photographic retrospective “Kembra Pfahler” published by Rizzoli New York.

Thursday, June 18 | 6:30 — 8:30pm
At the Materials for the Arts warehouse
3300 Northern Blvd., 3rd fl
Long Island City, NY 11101

RSVP at the link in bio. You won’t want to miss it! 🖤

That’s another StorySLAM with The Moth in the books! A home organizer falling in love with a surfer, a Mandarin teacher letting go of perfection, an unrequited crush turned familial bond — these were just a few of the stories shared that evening.

We’re over the moon to partner with organizations like and for the space we shared with one another that evening. If you were unable to attend our StorySLAM, not to worry! MFTA hosts free monthly programming on the third Thursday of every month.

“My creative process has been inverted, and consequently transformed, by my residency here at Materials for the Arts. Normally, as an artist I will have an idea and the challenge is finding the materials. Here, the materials direct the outcome of my work and guide me to new realms of possibility.” — MFTA Spring 2026 Artist-in-Residence Mary Mattingly ()

Colorful assemblages of pitchers, books, pedestals, ceiling medallions, varying in hues and height, create a vibrant tableau in Mary Mattingly’s “All Night I Hear the Noise of Water Sobbing,” an installation of interconnected sculptures that use moving water to tell time.

As MFTA’s Artist-in-Residence, Mattingly had unlimited access to MFTA’s warehouse of donated supplies, where she upcycled found objects to create the installations featured in her solo exhibition. Unified by the water coursing through them, the works invite gallery visitors to pause and take time, to sit with water, listen to it, emote with it, and consider all the wisdom life’s longest partner has to share.

Created from reclaimed materials from MFTA, the installation encourages visitors to remember that time is ecological, cyclical, and embodied.

“All Night I Hear the Noise of Water Sobbing” is on view at Materials for the Arts Gallery through July 16, 2026, welcoming visitors Monday through Friday from 9:30am to 4:30pm, excluding federal holidays. Admission to this exhibition is free and open to the public.

Photos courtesy of Stefan Hagen.

Join us at the Materials for the Arts’ warehouse on Thursday, June 18, from 6:30 to 8:30pm for a performance by New York City’s Kembra Pfahler and her band, The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black, as well as new work on piano by Jacob Madden. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a book signing of the newly-released photographic retrospective “Kembra Pfahler” published by Rizzoli New York.

And did we mention, it’s free? This event is a part of our monthly Third Thursday programming where we produce events —ranging from art-making activities to gallery openings to clothing swaps and more!— at our warehouse, free of charge, for New Yorkers to enjoy. 🫶

Thursday, June 18 | 6:30 — 8:30pm
At the Materials for the Arts warehouse
3300 Northern Blvd., 3rd fl
Long Island City, NY 11101

RSVP at the link in bio. 🖤

Thank you to everyone who attended our BUTSU BUTSU tea ceremony led by artist Eri Shoji. ☕️❤️

Rooted in teaism, the project invited participants to gather around tea and conversation, exploring generosity through shared ritual and presence.

BUTSU BUTSU was a part of our monthly Third Thursday programming, where we host a variety of community events, including performances, artist workshops, discussions, and gallery openings to our community FREE of charge.

I think it’s safe to say Woomin Kim () nailed it! 💅✨

In “come closer,” a group exhibition alongside artists Ezra Benus, Marie Franco, and Sydney Kleinrock, Kim’s works invite viewers to do just that as they reflect on their own communities and experiences. The artist explores time, labor, community, and touch through a familiar backdrop: a nail salon. Her individual nail sculptures (“Uridiel,” 2025) highlight the specificity and personality embedded in everyday acts of adornment, while her textile work (“Sohn,” 2026) gathers these forms into a collective constellation. These works, contrasting in scale and material, highlight the intimacy, creativity, and community of this profession.

If Kim’s work seems familiar, that’s because it is! As MFTA’s Fall 2023 Artist-in-Residence, Kim created textile tableaus mirrored after our very own warehouse. 💛

Don’t miss this opportunity to witness Kim’s work up close and personal. “come closer” is on view now through Saturday, May 30, at 81 Leonard Gallery (). 💫

We’re bending over backwards to get the best items to MFTA members! From dinosaur heads to Deadman comics, giant gold props, and bicycles, these are just a few of the recent donations that have been made available
to support our members’ programming FREE of charge. 

Every day, MFTA diverts tons of materials from landfill and places them into the hands of New Yorkers across the city. 

MFTA members: our warehouse items move fast with new items arriving throughout the week. Book your next shopping appointment at nyc.gov/mfta! 🛒

 

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month! This month, cultural organizations are celebrating the contributions and impact of AAPI communities across NYC, which is home to the nation’s second largest AAPI population.

Check out these upcoming events amplifying AAPI artists featuring MFTA member organizations:

🌟Think!Chinatown ()
May 31, 2026 | 4:00 — 8:00pm
Think!Chinatown x Chinatown Records 華埠錄音 team up for another summer of music and memories at the historic newsstand with a stacked lineup of DJs and printmaking artist to light up our Chinatown dance floor with the whole family and neighborhood.

🌟Brooklyn Children’s Museum ()
May 28, 2026 | 3:00 – 3:45pm
Join author Michele Wong McSween for a special reading of “Gordon & Li Li: Learn Animals in Mandarin.” This program offers a mini-Mandarin lesson, book reading, and an interactive art project.

🌟Film at Lincoln Center ()
Now through May 26, 2026
Film at Lincoln Center and Subway Cinema screen “Korean Cinema’s Celluloid Fever: The 1970s,” a series featuring some of the most daring films in Korean history.

🌟Thai Theatre Foundation () and Royal Thai Consulate General
May 17, 2026 | Now until 5:00pm
The Royal Thai Consulate General in New York, in partnership with Thai Theatre Foundation, proudly presents “Thai Next 2026: When the Seeds Bloom”, one of NYC’s largest multidisciplinary Thai arts fairs with performances, music, visual art, photography, fashion, and film.

🌟The Chocolate Factory ()
May 31, 2026 | 1:00 – 6:00pm
Hosted by the Chocolate Factory Theater, the second edition of “From Sea to SEA: The NYC Southeast Asian Festival” is presented in partnership with over twelve different Southeast Asian city-wide community organizations. The event will feature around 30 vendors with several performances and cultural activities.

Photos and images courtesy of:
1. Loreto “Still1” Jamlig
2. Winston Williams / Brooklyn Children’s Museum
3. “A Girl Who Looks Like the Sun” by Lee Man-hee
4. Thai Theatre Foundation
5. VCS NYC