LONG ISLAND CITY — Local artists are set to create installations for the the Falchi Building, a former Long Island City warehouse owned by the developer of Chelsea Market that has undergone a multimillion-dollar overhaul in recent months, including the addition of an artisanal food pop-up.
Jamestown Properties is working with Long Island City arts group Local Project to curate the installations, which will be displayed in eight large glass display cases on the building's ground floor.
Local Project is seeking submissions for the installations, called "In My Borough," and is looking specifically for "inter-borough collaborations" with at least one of the artists involved living or working in Queens.
"This is an opportunity for artists to challenge themselves to work with others, to practice collaborating," said Local Project director Carolina Penafiel. "It's a lot of what Local Project is about — about working as a team, exploring things...discussing ideas and having fun."
Penafiel said the group is looking for family and community-friendly proposals in any medium. Submissions are due March 15, and the installations will go up in April. A full set of guidelines can be found here.
The local art is the latest addition at the Falchi Building, a five-story, 657,660-square-foot, mixed-use office building at 31-00 47th Ave. that Jamestown Properties bought in 2012.
The developer has since undertaken a number of renovations at the building — once a warehouse for the former Gimbels department store — including upgrades to the facade and lobby, as well as a 2,000-square-foot artisanal food market that opened this fall on the first floor.
Dubbed The Food Box, it contains a roster of food vendors open for breakfast and lunch on weekdays. Its current lineup includes desserts company Made From Scratch, authentic Thai dishes from Khao Man Gai NY, Jamaican dishes like jerk chicken from ReCaFo, Paraguayan foods and desserts from Karu Café, and homemade soups and sandwiches from Mrs. Soupy and Friends.
Other food purveyors have also signed on as tenants in the Falchi Building. Gourmet cheese purveyor Artisanal Premium Cheese is expected to open a retail shop and cafe there, and L’Arte Del Gelato has also signed on as a tenant, according to Jamestown.
