LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 32nd Anniversary of the Flush-
ing Council on Culture and the Arts to be celebrated April 21, 2011

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that the quality and
character of life in New York State are reflective of the concerned and
dedicated efforts of organizations and individuals whose endeavors
support and enrich the arts in their communities; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commem-
orate the 32nd Anniversary of the Flushing Council on Culture and the
Arts to be celebrated with a Gala at Flushing Town Hall on Thursday,
April 21, 2011; and
WHEREAS, This prominent Gala is being held in honor of Georgiana Reese
Benatti, Community Relations Director for Queens of New York Community
Bank; Dr. Hsing-Lih Chou, Director of the New York Institute of Culture
and the Arts, and assistant professor, Center for Ethnic Studies, BMCC,
CUNY; Dorthaan Kirk, Director of Community Relations and Special Events
at WBGO Jazz Radio; and Catherine Lee, Senior Director of the F&T Group,
and founder and owner of the Crossing Art Gallery; and
WHEREAS, Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts offers a broad range
of arts and educational programs at Flushing Town Hall, providing vital
services to local artists, arts organizations and community residents;
and
WHEREAS, For 32 years, the Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts
has developed and promoted the arts throughout the Borough of Queens,
presenting talented artists, dancers and performers, and it does so as a
result of its ties to the Cultural Institution Group of New York City
and the Smithsonian Institution; and
WHEREAS, For more than 350 years, Flushing has been at the center of
independence and diversity, from the Remonstrance in 1657, to its resur-
gence today; and
WHEREAS, Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts offers a variety of
programs, from sculpture to visual arts, performance to children's
programming, encompassing so many of Queens' resident cultures; and
WHEREAS, The arts are the building blocks of civilization; they are
central to human expression and inspire the imagination; individuals and
institutions which further such worthy purposes richly merit the recog-
nition and appreciation of this Legislative Body; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 32nd Anniversary of the Flushing Council on Culture and
the Arts to be celebrated April 21, 2011; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts.