QUEENS — Greetings from...Kew Gardens?
The neighborhood may not have Hawaii's beautiful beaches or the Eiffel Tower but locals think the area's charm will still make great postcards.
Residents are invited to take a photo of a local person, place or pet they love, and send it to be included in a set of postcards that will document the neighborhood, organizers said.
“It’s a way of connecting with our past, with the history of our community,” said Grace Anker, the owner of The Potter’s Wheel, a pottery studio in Kew Gardens, who is planning to participate in the Kew Gardens Postcards Project. “But it’s also a way of chronicling our current times and things as they are.”
Their pictures will be later made into 4-by-6 inch postcards and shown at a local exhibit, according to Carol Lacks, who came up with the project, and will be later distributed among local residents.
Organizers said that the project is partially inspired by an old tradition where neighborhoods distributed postcards with local images.
According to A Picture History of Kew Gardens, a website dedicated to the neighborhood, in the early 20th century, a series of such postcards were produced from black and white photographs of streets and homes in Kew Gardens. They were also colorized.
The display will be presented at the Kew Gardens Flea Market on Sept. 13, and is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Kew Gardens Civic Association.
Anker said she was still not sure what specifically she will photograph, but it will be something related to her studio on 83rd Avenue.
“We’ve been here for more than a quarter of a century, which is amazing,” she said.
Residents can submit their photos until Aug. 25. They should email the pictures with a description why the place or object they photographed is meaningful (up to 10 sentences) to kewgardensarts@gmail.com. Residents can also pick up blank postcards at Odradeks Coffee House and return them to the store after finishing their postcards.
