Mapping Queens: Voices Behind the Festivals
Aug 8, 2026
Date: Saturday, August 08, 2026
Location: The World’s Borough Bookshop (34-06 73rd St, Jackson Heights, NY 11372)
Doors: 3:00 PM | Panel: 3:15 PM
Join us for an inside look at the Queens Cultural Mapping Report, a deep dive into the arts and culture ecosystem of the World’s Borough. Attendees will learn how this year-long initiative serves to advance arts and culture in Queens and hear what’s next for the Cultural Mapping Initiative.
Our panel discussion will be moderated by Natalie Bedon, Project Manager, Queens Cultural Mapping Initiative, and will include three festival organizers from across Queens who are reimagining how arts and culture are created and sustained: Eli Salome (Jackson Heights Day), Anjali Deshmukh (Street Works Earth Festival), and Courtney Muller (Rockaway Film Festival).
These festival organizers bring firsthand experience building and running community celebrations that draw neighbors together, spotlight local talent, and keep Queens' cultural traditions alive. Panelists will share what inspires their work, the realities of organizing a festival, and their visions for the future of the borough's creative landscape. Audience members will have a chance to ask questions and end the event with a mixer.
Drinks and light refreshments will be available.
About The World's Borough Bookshop
Located in the heart of Jackson Heights on 34th Avenue, a vibrant open street that hosts many of the neighborhood's cultural festivals and community celebrations, The World's Borough Bookshop is an independent, Latino-owned, community-centered bookstore celebrating the diverse voices, cultures, and stories of Queens. Through author talks, book clubs, workshops, and neighborhood gatherings, the shop serves as a welcoming space where readers, artists, and community members come together to connect, learn, and celebrate the borough's rich cultural life.
Meet the Lineup:
Anjali Deshmukh is a co-founder of Street Works and Make Justice Normal, as well as an artist, game designer, and writer dedicated to creating participatory experiences in public spaces that foster community connection. Her work has been supported by the Asian American Arts Alliance, City Artist Corps, the Rebel Fund, and Queens Council on the Arts. She has created community-based games and public art projects across New York City, with installations and presentations at the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Grange LIC Rooftop Farm, American Museum of Natural History, Bliss Plaza in Sunnyside, the DUMBO Arts Festival, the Digital Games Research Association, and the Propelify Innovation Festival.
Street Works Earth Festival is an annual participatory arts festival held each September, during New York Climate Week, that brings together artists, neighbors, environmental advocates, and local organizations to co-create public art, participate in hands-on workshops, and explore creative ways to care for the planet and one another. Through interactive installations, games, performances, and collaborative experiences, the festival transforms public space into a vibrant gathering place that encourages environmental stewardship, community connection, and collective action. In 2026, the festival will also host the first annual Sustainable Fashion Designer of the Year Awards, which is anticipated to feature 40+ artists redefining fashion in an era of climate change.
Courtney Muller is a film programmer, cultural organizer, and educator based in Rockaway, Queens. She is the Program Director of Rockaway Film Festival, which she co-founded in 2018. Previously, she was Managing Director and Programmer of Le Cinéma Club, where she curated weekly films, spotlighting a new generation of filmmakers alongside rare gems and other discoveries. She has taught 16mm filmmaking classes and served as a juror for Creative Capital and NYFA's NYC Women's Fund for Media, Music and Theater. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Mono No Aware and the Advisory Board of the Los Angeles Festival of Movies. She holds a degree in Film and Television from NYU and is an alumna and former resident of Arcosanti, an urban project in the high desert of Arizona that fuses architecture and ecology into compact, sustainable designs supporting cultural vibrancy, frugal resiliency, and balance with nature.
Rockaway Film Festival presents cinema and other arts at the coastal edge of New York City, joining artists and audiences for unique collective experiences. It started in 2018 as a four-day experiment to bring cinema back to Rockaway, where there hadn’t been a movie theater in over thirty years. Since then, it’s grown into a year-round organization offering screenings, music, performances, installations, workshops, and other opportunities for people to gather.
Eli Salomé-Díaz (ELI) is an artist, designer, Jackson Heights native, and co-founder of Jackson Heights Day who believes that when people see themselves reflected in art, they feel seen, valued, and connected. A first-generation Peruvian American of German descent, Eli found his voice through graffiti, which led him to become a principal of the influential 1990s streetwear label Elements of Style before turning his focus to public art. His acclaimed murals—including Illmatic30, The Infamous 30th, The Notorious B.I.G. 25th Anniversary Tribute, and the Calle Perú mural, created with his son, concept artist Iysaiah Justice Salomé-Díaz—reflect his commitment to celebrating culture, preserving history, and transforming public spaces into symbols of hope, identity, and collective pride
Jackson Heights Day is an annual community festival celebrating the culture, creativity, and diversity of one of the world's most diverse neighborhoods. Now in its third year, the festival brings together residents through live performances, local vendors, public art, family activities, and cultural programming while championing small businesses, youth empowerment, and community pride. Through Jackson Heights Day, Eli aims to strengthen his hometown by fostering connections, celebrating local culture, and creating spaces where neighbors feel seen, connected, and proud of the place they call home.
Directions and Parking
Street parking is available throughout the neighborhood, though it may be limited. Nearby paid parking is also available at:
iPark – 37-18 75th St
LAZ Parking – 73-32 37th Rd
Train: 7, E, F, M, R trains to Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Ave / 74 St–Broadway (5-minute walk)
Bus: Q32, Q33, Q47, Q49, Q53-SBS, Q70-SBS, Q72 to the Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Ave/74 St transit hub (5-minute walk)
| Date | Performance Times | |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 8, 2026 | 3:00 PM |
Date: Saturday, August 08, 2026
Location: The World’s Borough Bookshop (34-06 73rd St, Jackson Heights, NY 11372)
Doors: 3:00 PM | Panel: 3:15 PM
Join us for an inside look at the Queens Cultural Mapping Report, a deep dive into the arts and culture ecosystem of the World’s Borough. Attendees will learn how this year-long initiative serves to advance arts and culture in Queens and hear what’s next for the Cultural Mapping Initiative.
Our panel discussion will be moderated by Natalie Bedon, Project Manager, Queens Cultural Mapping Initiative, and will include three festival organizers from across Queens who are reimagining how arts and culture are created and sustained: Eli Salome (Jackson Heights Day), Anjali Deshmukh (Street Works Earth Festival), and Courtney Muller (Rockaway Film Festival).
These festival organizers bring firsthand experience building and running community celebrations that draw neighbors together, spotlight local talent, and keep Queens' cultural traditions alive. Panelists will share what inspires their work, the realities of organizing a festival, and their visions for the future of the borough's creative landscape. Audience members will have a chance to ask questions and end the event with a mixer.
Drinks and light refreshments will be available.
About The World's Borough Bookshop
Located in the heart of Jackson Heights on 34th Avenue, a vibrant open street that hosts many of the neighborhood's cultural festivals and community celebrations, The World's Borough Bookshop is an independent, Latino-owned, community-centered bookstore celebrating the diverse voices, cultures, and stories of Queens. Through author talks, book clubs, workshops, and neighborhood gatherings, the shop serves as a welcoming space where readers, artists, and community members come together to connect, learn, and celebrate the borough's rich cultural life.
Meet the Lineup:
Anjali Deshmukh is a co-founder of Street Works and Make Justice Normal, as well as an artist, game designer, and writer dedicated to creating participatory experiences in public spaces that foster community connection. Her work has been supported by the Asian American Arts Alliance, City Artist Corps, the Rebel Fund, and Queens Council on the Arts. She has created community-based games and public art projects across New York City, with installations and presentations at the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Grange LIC Rooftop Farm, American Museum of Natural History, Bliss Plaza in Sunnyside, the DUMBO Arts Festival, the Digital Games Research Association, and the Propelify Innovation Festival.
Street Works Earth Festival is an annual participatory arts festival held each September, during New York Climate Week, that brings together artists, neighbors, environmental advocates, and local organizations to co-create public art, participate in hands-on workshops, and explore creative ways to care for the planet and one another. Through interactive installations, games, performances, and collaborative experiences, the festival transforms public space into a vibrant gathering place that encourages environmental stewardship, community connection, and collective action. In 2026, the festival will also host the first annual Sustainable Fashion Designer of the Year Awards, which is anticipated to feature 40+ artists redefining fashion in an era of climate change.
Courtney Muller is a film programmer, cultural organizer, and educator based in Rockaway, Queens. She is the Program Director of Rockaway Film Festival, which she co-founded in 2018. Previously, she was Managing Director and Programmer of Le Cinéma Club, where she curated weekly films, spotlighting a new generation of filmmakers alongside rare gems and other discoveries. She has taught 16mm filmmaking classes and served as a juror for Creative Capital and NYFA's NYC Women's Fund for Media, Music and Theater. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Mono No Aware and the Advisory Board of the Los Angeles Festival of Movies. She holds a degree in Film and Television from NYU and is an alumna and former resident of Arcosanti, an urban project in the high desert of Arizona that fuses architecture and ecology into compact, sustainable designs supporting cultural vibrancy, frugal resiliency, and balance with nature.
Rockaway Film Festival presents cinema and other arts at the coastal edge of New York City, joining artists and audiences for unique collective experiences. It started in 2018 as a four-day experiment to bring cinema back to Rockaway, where there hadn’t been a movie theater in over thirty years. Since then, it’s grown into a year-round organization offering screenings, music, performances, installations, workshops, and other opportunities for people to gather.
Eli Salomé-Díaz (ELI) is an artist, designer, Jackson Heights native, and co-founder of Jackson Heights Day who believes that when people see themselves reflected in art, they feel seen, valued, and connected. A first-generation Peruvian American of German descent, Eli found his voice through graffiti, which led him to become a principal of the influential 1990s streetwear label Elements of Style before turning his focus to public art. His acclaimed murals—including Illmatic30, The Infamous 30th, The Notorious B.I.G. 25th Anniversary Tribute, and the Calle Perú mural, created with his son, concept artist Iysaiah Justice Salomé-Díaz—reflect his commitment to celebrating culture, preserving history, and transforming public spaces into symbols of hope, identity, and collective pride
Jackson Heights Day is an annual community festival celebrating the culture, creativity, and diversity of one of the world's most diverse neighborhoods. Now in its third year, the festival brings together residents through live performances, local vendors, public art, family activities, and cultural programming while championing small businesses, youth empowerment, and community pride. Through Jackson Heights Day, Eli aims to strengthen his hometown by fostering connections, celebrating local culture, and creating spaces where neighbors feel seen, connected, and proud of the place they call home.
Directions and Parking
Street parking is available throughout the neighborhood, though it may be limited. Nearby paid parking is also available at:
iPark – 37-18 75th St
LAZ Parking – 73-32 37th Rd
Train: 7, E, F, M, R trains to Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Ave / 74 St–Broadway (5-minute walk)
Bus: Q32, Q33, Q47, Q49, Q53-SBS, Q70-SBS, Q72 to the Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Ave/74 St transit hub (5-minute walk)
| Date | Performance Times | |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 8, 2026 | 3:00 PM |
