BY JAIDA DENT
The new “Shifting Seasons” exhibit at the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL) explores themes of transformation and reflection in a time of constant change. Curated by
Alex Z., the founder and creative director of the Brooklyn Art Cave (BAC), the exhibition opened on Oct. 17 and showcases a diverse group of artists and media.
“Curating ‘Shifting Seasons’ was both a creative and emotional process. The concept came from reflecting on change — how artists, spaces, and communities evolve, just like the seasons,” said Z.
Founded in 1972, JCAL is a multidisciplinary arts center in the heart of southeastern Queens. It offers programming and events focused on visual arts, performing arts, and arts education. The organization serves as a space of community and celebrates the borough’s diversity.
“JCAL’s mission as an organization is really centered around its role as a pivotal creative and cultural anchor in Queens,” said Njari Anderson, Visual Arts Programming Associate at JCAL.
JCAL aims to be an accessible institution. Along with a rotation of exhibitions and performances at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center (JPAC), JCAL’s secondary location, JCAL also offers several dance and visual art classes, including a program called CASA/SU-CASA, which brings JCAL’s resources to schools and senior centers in Queens, including Zumba workshops and acting classes.
“This diversity in our programming wasn’t accidental: we wear our pride in Queen’s diversity on our sleeves,” said Anderson. “When we consider programming, we have to think from the perspectives of the incredibly diverse community we serve. This diversity isn’t only reflected culturally, it’s also reflected across age groups and various states of able-bodiedness, and our acknowledgement of that allows us to intrinsically operate from a place where accessibility is not an afterthought; it is the core of what we do and how we program.”
“Shifting Seasons,” as an exhibition, promotes reflection in both the artist involved and the community viewing it. The exhibit is a collaboration between JCAL and BAC.
“It bridges two creative communities — Brooklyn and Queens — and highlights the importance of collaboration, continuity, and cultural exchange,” Z. said. Shifting Seasons feels like both a celebration of what we’ve built and a preview of what’s next.”
Above all, the exhibition showcases the artistry and community present in both BAC and JCAL. Z was able to find artists from the show through open calls, personal recommendations, and even sought out artists who previously collaborated with BAC and JCAL. The inspiration for the project came as BAC is going through its own time of change, with its current location in Bedford-Stuyvesant closing.
The show featured artists from several different backgrounds, like Elainne Diaz from the Dominican Republic, who uses clay to explore “organic forms inspired by nature and womanhood.” Her piece, “Alma Sconce,” is a ceramic flower with a ball of light directly in the center. It heavily resembles a clam with a pearl inside, creating a comparison between different forms of nature, but showcasing that there is a light that resides at the center of it all. Another work of hers, “Protector of Light,” also exemplifies this idea, as a dark glass flower that can double as a lamp, with the purpose of holding a showcasing the light despite the dark exterior.
“ ‘Shifting Seasons’ to me symbolizes the continual cycle of change, renewal, and growth. Just like nature, we experience phases of stillness and bloom, endings and beginnings. My work reflects this rhythm of transformation, illustrating how, like flowers and plants, we too adapt, shed, and evolve into new forms of being,” said Diaz.
Christopher M. Liatsis, a Brooklyn-based painter and illustrator, also pulled from nature as a source of inspiration. “Flower of Time” employs a combination of pink, purple, and orange to create a valley of trees that look like they’re floating in the air. The piece is an almost intergalactic perspective of nature that could be slipping away, forcing us to reconsider what is important and worth holding onto.
“Shifting Seasons feels like a meditation on transition and awareness—the delicate balance between what we hold onto and what we must release,” said Liatsis. “My work speaks to that through contrasts in color, texture, and light, reflecting both the turbulence and beauty of change. Each piece captures a moment between stillness and motion, much like how the natural world transforms without losing its essence.”
Along with all the pieces on display, the gallery featured a literal reflective wall, with a sign stating, “Take a breath. What are you ready to release? Release it onto the reflection.” The wall allowed visitors to write down emotions, habits, and situations they were ready to release themselves from. The display makes the exhibit all the more introspective, prompting viewers to interact with the change in the artwork presented, while creating change in themselves.
“The layout was designed to guide visitors through two distinct yet connected experiences: Transformation, filled with bold color and expressive movement, and Reflection, a serene space that invites calm and contemplation,” said Z.
“Shifting Seasons” is informative, interactive, and inspirational. It allows for a deep reflection of what transformation looks like through the eyes of others, while exploring how change can look within ourselves. The exhibition also showcases JCAL’s ability to bring artistry to a community bursting with creativity without limits or restrictions.
“We are here and we listen, but most importantly, we are here for you,” said Anderson. “We’re constantly working towards being a better organization, a better team, a better community, cultural, and creative anchor, and that’s because everyone here has an immense belief in what we do and the impact and importance it is in being Queens’s creative hub.”