Art Brings Life to Empty Storefronts

When a dental office left 161st Street in Jamaica, its storefront remained empty for two years, gathering dust, but no interest from buyers. Then an art exhibit called, “Road Kill Taxidermy,” opened in the space – and fewer than six months later, an architect signed a deal to move in.

The property is one of 40 empty storefronts that the non-profit arts organization Chashama – loosely translated, “to have vision,” in Farsi – has converted to temporary art galleries in Queens and around the city.

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