When visitors ride the International Express No. 7 train, the first drop off point is in Long Island City, Queens, which, in recent years has been undergoing dramatic changes over the last two decades, including the development of the highest concentration of free events, art galleries, art institutions, and studio space of any neighborhood in New York City.

At the forefront of this booming arts scene is Flux Factory a non-profit art organization that supports and promotes emerging artists through exhibitions, commissions, residencies, and collaborative opportunities.

The central guiding concept of the artist-run Flux Factory is that innovative new works are created out of a rigorous commitment to collaborative processes. Flux Factory produces four major and dozens of smaller exhibitions per year, runs a residency program, and presents monthly events that serve the artistic communities and general public.

As a 2011 Queens Art Express partner, Flux Factory presented a solo show of work by their artist-in-resident Wieteke Heldens. Click to see photos from the exhibit.  On an annual basis, about 35,000 visitors check out Flux Factory’s events.

Flux Factory is currently holding a month-long series of events in Queens called, Congress of Collectives, dedicated to exploring the issues surrounding collaborative art-making. More about this can be found here.