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By Julia Moro

TimesLedger Newspapers

Andrew Shakespeare, 34, of Roselle, N.J., pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide in a 2017 crash on the Grand Central Parkway that left two people dead, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

Acting Queens Supreme Court Justice Gia Morris sentenced Shakespeare to an intermediate seven to 21 years in prison.

This comes after the defendant pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide in April. Shakespeare’s release from prison will include an interlock ignition device installed to any car he drives, preventing the vehicle from starting if he is intoxicated.

Brown said the multi-vehicle accident killed two of Shakespeare’s four passengers — a 16-year-old boy and a 34-year-old man — while injuring the other two. Five other people were seriously injured in the four-car collision on the Grand Central in the early morning of July 16, 2017, according to the DA.

“A night of celebrating ended tragically with the deaths of two people as a result of this defendant’s reckless actions,” Brown said.

At about 6:30 a.m., Shakespeare and his passengers were returning home after attending a wedding and Shakespeare was “in a highly intoxicated condition” when he drove his black BMW X5 up to 117 mph in the westbound lane of the Grand Central Parkway at 188th Street and attempted to pass a white Nissan in the entrance lane, according to Brown.

The defendant sideswiped that vehicle and lost control of the BMW, Brown said. Then Shakespeare slammed into a silver Nissan Rogue. Shakespeare’s vehicle, along with the Nissan Rogue, crashed through the center guardrail separating the westbound and eastbound lanes.

The two vehicles flipped over multiple times and when the dust settled, the Nissan Rogue stopped upside down, and Shakespeare’s SUV came to a rest on its tires on the eastbound side of the parkway, according to the DA.

A Mercedes Benz SUV traveling eastbound on the parkway was also involved in the accident. The driver saw the defendant’s vehicle and the Nissan Rogue coming toward him and had to abruptly take action, resulting in the vehicle flipping over as well.

According to court records, the driver and two passengers in the Nissan Rogue and the drivers of the Mercedes Benz and white Nissan were seriously injured as a result of the crash.

Shakespeare’s blood alcohol level was .10 above the legal limit, according to the DA. This information was only determined after the defendant refused tests and was then forced to comply, due to a court order warrant obtained five hours after the crash.

“As a result of his senseless actions, the defendant has been sentenced to a lengthy term of incarceration,” Brown said.

Reach reporter Julia Moro by e-mail at jmoro@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4574.

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By Carlotta Mohamed

TimesLedger Newspapers

A Richmond Hill man has been convicted on multiple counts of first-degree murder in the shooting execution death of a fellow Richmond Hill man in 2017, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.

The defendant, Stephen Peters, 27, of Richmond Hill, and his co-defendant, Jason St. Hill, 22, went to the home of Azeem Ali, 43, shortly after midnight on Feb. 24, 2013, where they beat him and tied Ali’s hands and feet with an electrical cord, stole his bank card, and then shot him several times in the head before his apartment was torched to cover up evidence, according to trial testimony.

Peters took the victim’s bank card, along with his PIN number, and then shot him three times in the head, the DA said. In an attempt to get rid of the evidence, Peters then poured gasoline on the dead man’s body and around the apartment and set the place on fire. Firefighters responding to the apartment building on 116th Street to douse the flames, discovered the bound and badly burned remains of Ali, Brown said.

“This was a brutal killing — the victim was defenseless after being beaten and restrained. But the defendant in this case did not stop there,” said Brown. “He shot the man in the head and then tried to burn away the evidence by setting the victim’s apartment ablaze.”

In January 2017, a jury found Peters guilty of second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, first-degree kidnapping, third-degree arson and tampering with physical evidence, but they were unable to reach a verdict on the top charges. Peters was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison in May 2017. Following a nearly two-week-long trial, a jury on May 30, convicted Peters of three counts of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree murder, according to Brown.

In New York state, a person is guilty of murder in the first degree when the act was premeditated, while second-degree murder means the killing was intentional but not planned.

Queens Supreme Court Justice Gregory Lasak, who presided at trial, set sentencing for July 25, when Peters faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Hill pleaded guilty to robbery in February 2017 and was sentenced to 12 1/2 years in prison, Brown said.

Reach reporter Carlotta Mohamed by e-mail at cmohamed@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4526.

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By Carlotta Mohamed

TimesLedger Newspapers

Military veterans who are recovering from addiction were recognized and honored for their service and sacrifice at a ceremony held by the Samaritan Daytop Village, where they were joined by the New York Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services and community members.

The May 31 ceremony took place at Samaritan Daytop Village’s Ed Thompson Veterans Program, located at 130-15 89th Road in Richmond Hill — which has undergone a $7.5 million renovation funded by OASAS. With more than 50 facilities in 10 counties throughout the state serving 28,000 New Yorkers a year, Samaritan Daytop Village is widely recognized as a pioneer in specialized treatment services for military veterans, including and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and substance abuse.

“Today, we honor our veterans who, after serving bravely, now fight as civilians a new battle against PTSD and substance use disorder,” said Tino Hernandez, president and CEO of Samaritan Daytop Village. “Samaritan Daytop Village and the Ed Thompson Veterans Program proudly count ourselves among their staunchest allies and supporters, and we work with them to help them overcome their personal struggles and challenges.”

Hernandez said that every seven hours, someone dies of a drug overdose in New York City, and within that context, veterans are twice as likely as non-veterans to die from accidental opioid overdoses.

“Providing substance use disorder care for veterans presents a unique set of challenges, and we owe it to them to do everything we can to meet the needs of those seeking that care,” said Arlene Gonzalez-Sanchez, OASAS commissioner.

The Ed Thompson Veterans Program is a residential treatment facility for men, according to Sheila Greene, a spokeswoman for Samaritan Daytop Village. The length of stay for veterans battling opioid and alcohol addiction varies on the needs of each person, but the average stay is from six to seven months.

Programs and services offered include group and individual counseling, relapse prevention counseling, trauma-specific therapies, primary and mental health care, vocational and employment services, family intervention, veteran benefits counseling, housing assistance and aftercare service.

The center was named in honor of the National Guard and Korean War Army veteran, the late Sergeant Ed Thompson, who inspired Samaritan Daytop Village’s programs to assist veterans. After his honorable discharge, Thompson suffered from PTSD and addiction issues. He sought treatment and then began a post-military career at Samaritan Daytop Village as a program director, and advocate for those recovering from addiction.

The newly renovated 50-year-old facility is updated with current codes, two top floors of dormitory space, a client lounge, quiet/reading room, outdoor basketball court, outdoor grilling/seating area, and ADA-compliant ramps and an elevator.

Reach reporter Carlotta Mohamed by e-mail at cmohamed@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4526.

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By Carlotta Mohamed

TimesLedger Newspapers

U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing) announced on May 30 the House has passed measures to authorize the Jet Noise Reduction Program, an initiative within the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research, to combat excessive aircraft noise over Queens and other affected communities.

Under the Jet Noise Reduction Program, engine noise of high-performance military aircrafts will be reduced, and breakthroughs that are made could possibly be applied to commercial jets, which would result in decreased airplane noise over communities such as Queens. Meng’s provision — which passed as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act — would direct the secretary of the Navy to share relevant noise reduction discoveries with the civilian aviation community.

“The Jet Noise Reduction Program has the potential to be a critical component in mitigating excessive aircraft noise over communities like Queens,” said Meng, a founding member and former co-chair of the Congressional Quiet Skies Caucus. “Excessive airplane noise remains a major issue that negatively impacts residents of our borough, and we must continue to take advantage of all opportunities — such as measures like this — that can help provide long-term solutions to the problem.”

Co-sponsors of Meng’s provision include U.S. Reps. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus; Tom Suozzi (D-Little Neck); Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn); and Kathleen Rice (D-Nassau County). They are all members of the Quiet Skies Caucus, of which Suozzi is the current co-chair.

Crowley said authorizing the program will ensure relief to the thousands of families living in Queens and the Bronx that are burdened with blistering aircraft noise.

“This program is crucial to our efforts to reduce noise pollution in New York City,” said Crowley. “The U.S. military has always paved the way on technological breakthroughs in aviation, and I’m eager to work with our armed forces as they develop and deploy aircraft technologies that help combat the excessive noise that has plagued our communities.”

Meng originally secured the authorization of the Jet Noise Reduction Program in last year’s House-passed NDAA, but the measure was not included in the version passed by the Senate. She is hopeful that the provision will be in both versions this year.

The NDAA is the annual legislation that establishes funding levels and policies for the U.S. Department of Defense. The bill would take effect at the beginning of fiscal year 2018 which begins Oct. 1.

Reach reporter Carlotta Mohamed by e-mail at cmohamed@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4526.

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By Bill Parry

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Just days after the conviction of so-called “Taxi King” Evgeny Freidman for stealing nearly $5 million in MTA taxes, state Attorney General Barbara Underwood announced last Friday the guilty plea of Sunnyside attorney Andreea Dumitru for her role in assisting Freidman.

Dumitru and Freidman were business partners who managed Taxicab Management Inc. with its fleet of 800 medallion taxicabs operating out of Woodside, Long Island City and other locations around the city.

Dumitru, 43, pleaded guilty to criminal tax fraud for helping Freidman in his failure to remit the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance $5 million in 50-cent MTA surcharges between 2012 and 2015. Dumitru was chief financial officer of the company.

“As we’ve detailed, Andreea Dumitru partnered with Evgeny Freidman to steal from New Yorkers — lining their pockets with tax dollars that should have been invested in our transit system,” Underwood said. “We will continue to hold accountable anyone who tries to game the system for their own benefit.”

Dumitru agreed to pay $25,000 in criminal restitution as part of her plea and to cooperate with ongoing investigations by the attorney general’s office related to Freidman’s business. If Dumitru fully complies with the terms of her agreement, she will be permitted to withdraw her felony plea and enter a plea of guilty to the lesser crime of criminal tax fraud in the fifth degree, a class A misdemeanor, and receive a sentence of three years probation.

Freidman agreed to pay back the $5 million he withheld from the state as part of his plea deal last week. If he satisfies the terms of his agreement, he will be sentenced to five years probation. The New York Times reported that Freidman is a “significant” business partner of Michael Cohen, President Trump’s personal lawyer, and that Freidman agreed to cooperate with the government as a potential witness in state or federal investigations. Cohen is facing an investigation by the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, who is examining his business practices. Anything that bolsters that inquiry could increase pressure on Cohen to cooperate with Robert Mueller, the special counsel who is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Meanwhile, Dumitru is also facing charges of immigration fraud in a separate case with the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office. The March 2018 indictment alleges that Dumitru, whose law firm is located at 48-23 Skillman Ave. in Sunnyside, submitted fraudulent forms for more than 180 clients and knowingly made false statements about them. Her charges of asylum fraud and making false statements carry prison sentences of 10 years and five years, respectively.

Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4538.

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

City Councilman Donovan Richards (D-Laurelton) joined L+M Development Partners, Triangle Equities and city officials to break ground on a 100 percent affordable housing development in Far Rockaway last Friday.

The Curtis + Ginsburg Architects-designed Beach Greens Dunes II will bring 127 apartments affordable to very-low, low- and moderate income households to the community with nearly 3,000-square-feet of ground-floor retail and 50 parking spaces for residents.

“The groundbreaking of Beach Green Dunes Phase II signifies the revival of the Edgemere community and the continued investment coming into the Rockaways,” Richards said. “With the addition of 127 mixed-income affordable units with passive house amenities and ground floor retail space, this is the model of development that the Rockaways deserves and expects to see in the future.”

The eight-story building will be passive-house certified with ultra-low energy costs, thanks to a geo-thermal cooling and heating system and will be built with resilient design features to prevent flooding and storm damage. Beach Green Dunes II is a continuation of L+M Development Partners’ commitment to the community of the Rockaways, following the restoration of the Arverne View complex after Superstorm Sandy.

“I’ll never forget the work we did to turn around Arverne View after Superstorm Sandy, and we’re really focused on making Beach Green II a model for resilient, sustainable, green affordable housing development,” said Ron Moelis, L+M Development Partners CEO. “Thanks to Council member Richards and all our partners in helping us to deliver 127 critically needed affordable homes in the Rockaways.”

Beach Green Dunes II will also include outdoor space featuring a play area for children and the building will be adjacent to the Beach 44th Street A-train subway station just two blocks from the Rockaway Beach boardwalk and beaches. The new development furthers the efforts of the Mayor’s Housing New York 2.0 Plan, to create and preserve 300,000 units of affordable housing by 2026.

The total development cost for the building is nearly $53.8 million with the city Housing Development Corporation providing nearly $20 million in tax exempt bonds towards construction financing and nearly $8.3 million in subsidy towards permanent financing from its corporate reserves. The city Department of Housing Preservation & Development provided nearly $18.5 million in city capital for permanent financing.

“Today’s ground-breaking is emblematic of the significant steps we’re taking toward a stronger, more resilient future for our city’s neighborhoods, while achieving deep affordability on our remaining public sites,” HPD Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer said. “Beach Green Dunes II will incorporate cutting-edge sustainable building methods, transforming underused city-owned land into 127 energy efficient newly constructed homes for some of the lowest income New Yorkers.”

Completion is expected in December 2019.

Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4538.

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By Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

Dean Mustaphalli, an investment adviser, was charged last week with securities fraud, grand larceny, forgery and scheming to defraud 22 of his elderly and near retirement-aged clients of nearly $5 million of their savings, according to state Attorney General Barbara Underwood.

In the 99-count criminal indictment Mustaphalli was accused of targeting elderly persons and individuals near retirement in order to place their money in a hedge fund through his firm, Mustaphalli Capital Partners Funds, which was owned and run by him, and make risky investments without their knowledge.

Mustaphalli Capital Partners Funds is at 108-18 Queens Blvd. in Forest Hills.

Mustaphalli’s bail was set at $2 million cash or bond, he was ordered to surrender travel documents and if convicted could face anywhere between 10 to 20 years in prison, according to Queens Supreme Criminal Court Judge Douglas Wong.

Mustaphalli allegedly attracted his clients, mostly southeast Queens’ residents from Mitchell-Lama Cooperative, an affordable housing complex in Rochdale Village, to his firm from June 2014 to March 2017, knowing they had little to no experience in investing, according to the criminal complaint. He allegedly took their retirement savings to make high-risk hedge fund investments without the retirees’ or near retirees’ consent instead and allegedly ignored the agreed-upon conservative investments they requested.

An investigator and forensic auditors working with the attorney general’s office discovered Mustaphalli allegedly created fake e-mails to submit forged documents to transfer his clients’ savings from his firm to the hedge fund, even those that did not even own or know how to operate a computer, the AG said.

His clients did not know what was going on because in order for him to further his scheme he provided them with signature pages of fund documents and would later forge their initials on Accredited Investor Status forms, which falsely stated the retirees had a net worth over $1 million – a requirement an investor must have to invest in a hedge fund, according to the criminal complaint.

Almost none of his clients had such a large net worth, especially the residents in the housing complex in Rochdale Village, according to the complaint.

“New Yorkers should be able to trust the people they turn to for investment advice, said Underwood. “Yet, as we allege, Dean Mustaphalli deceived the clients that trusted him – looting and squandering millions from senior New Yorkers who relied on those savings.”

The Mitchell-Lama residents were low-to-middle income residents, according to the attorney general’s office.

In 2015, unauthorized trading strategies and speculative options trading caused the investments made before December of that year to lose 80 percent of their value, according to the criminal complaint.

Eventually, almost all or most of his clients’ retirement savings were lost, and he blamed the losses on “oil, bad markets, and the [2016] election,” as well as “Brexit” and he told one investor that “if Hillary [Clinton] wins, you’ll get your money back,” according to the complaint.

After the nearly $5 million loss, the defendant diverted $100,000 into shell companies to himself, leaving the few investors who still have funds in his firm 20 percent of what they originally entrusted to him, according to the complaint..

He is being prosecuted under the The Martin Act, an expansive law that passed in 1921 that gives the attorney general powers to conduct investigations into securities fraud and bring civil or criminal actions against the violators of those laws, according Practical Law The Journal, a New York Litigation guide.

Reach reporter Naeisha Rose by e-mail at nrose@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4573.

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

Residents of LeFrak City appear to have their polling sites back at their sprawling residential complex in Corona after a year-long battle with the city’s Board of Elections. In the summer of 2017, LeFrak City tenants learned that their polling place — containing five different election districts — would be moved from within the complex’s Continental Room, where they had been voting for more than 50 years, to schools three-quarters of a mile away.

These 6,000 voters, many of whom are minorities, elderly or disabled, would have to disperse to other sites that do not have public transportation options. The city argued that the Continental Room was not compliant under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The LeFrak City Tenants Association and other organizations sued the BOE. In October, two weeks before the general election, New York County Supreme Court Justice Erika Edwards ruled that four of the five election districts be returned to the Continental Room, calling the BOE’s relocation of the polling sites “irrational, arbitrary and capricious.”

The BOE is appealing the decision and oral arguments before the State Supreme Court’s Appellate Division were set to begin in September. With the 2018 federal primary just weeks away on June 26, U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) announced an agreement with the BOE has been reached to keep the community’s polling sites within the apartment complex through this election cycle.

“LeFrak City residents, and all of us fighting to expand access to the ballot box, won an important victory today,” Crowley said last Friday. “These polling sites should never have been at risk and I’m glad the Queens residents will be able to participate in our Democratic system easily and unobstructed.”

State Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry (D-Corona), City Councilman Francisco Moya (D-Jackson Heights) and state Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) joined Crowley to advocate for the polling sites to be left in Lefrak City.

“When Democracy wins, we all win, and Lefrak City residents won the critical fight to keep their polling site at the LeFrak City complex,” Peralta said. “Attempts to move the polling sites were illogical, and I’m happy to see that voters will be able to exercise their right to vote without interference. It is my hope that efforts to relocate the polling sites are a thing of the past and it does not become a recurrent issue. I have been working for months with the LeFrak City Tenants Association and several elected officials, including Congressman Joseph Crowley, to ensure the polling site was not relocated. For now, at least, that will be the case, but we will keep an eye on any possible future efforts to make it difficult for people to head to the polls.”

Moya said this is what happens when our democracy functions properly.

“Residents spoke out against relocating these ballot boxes and together we managed to stop this plan, which threatened to needlessly disenfranchise some voters,” Moya said. “I’m so pleased the local elected officials came together to hear the community’s concerns to bring these poll stations back to LeFrak City.”

Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4538.

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By Merle Exit

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Judge Gloria C. Coco, the first Italian-American woman to sit on the bench in Chicago, wanted to satisfy her mother’s dying wish, to find an uncle’s burial place.

Like many families that came to the United States, her mother, widowed grandmother and uncle were aboard a boat. Riding storage from Sicily, they landed at Ellis Island. Uncle Alfio Freddie Manninici, born in 1917, was only four years old when he died while they waited for their papers in 1921. Nobody could tell her where her brother had been buried when the search began in the mid-1990s, until it ended in 2000 at Maple Grove Cemetery in Kew Gardens.

What began as a search turned into a one-woman show, “Finding Uncle Alfio,” which Coco wrote and has been performing for several years. She will be sharing the true story at Maple Grove Cemetery for the first time on Saturday, June 16, at 3 p.m.

While still on the bench in 1994, Coco went back to school to get a degree in radio, television and film at Northwestern University. As part of her senior project, her assignment was to write a play in a storytelling class.

“My mother would tell me about these heartfelt sad stories about what it took for her mother and her children to come to the United States where the government first had to decide if it was feasible for them to stay or be sent back,” Coco said.

Although her mother was given a death certificate, it was not clear as to how her brother died or what was done to his body, most likely due to a language barrier.

“My mother had a sister, 14 years her elder, who had already come to America which is why they were able to send for the family,” Coco said. “When my mother died in 1993, there were no computers for us to do the seeking. My sisters and I decided to do a search in the ‘40s through the ‘70s where one could only do it by mail and by going through various New York authorities, National Archives and Burial of Vital Statistics.”

The death certificate listed Maple Grove as the burial cemetery and when she went there in 2000, the executive director searched through the ledgers and showed her more handwritten information that included where he was buried.

“It was described to me as a ‘mass grave’ where many of the children of immigrants coming through Ellis Island were buried,” Coco said.

As for her play, “Finding Uncle Alfio” was a smaller portion of a drama, “The Passages of Grace,” that started her acting career first performing at theatre festivals in Chicago.

“There was a book written called ‘Italian Women in Chicago,’ edited by Dominic Candeloro, in which 20 women were asked to write about their Italian heritage,” Coco said. “I was asked to write the story in my mother’s voice. The book was translated into Italian. I then performed my play as part of a book tour for the Italian Senate and then went back to Rome for the 100th anniversary of the death of Mother Francis of Cabrina, the Patron Saint of Immigrants.”

“For every story that you hear about people coming to America as the ‘land of opportunity,’ there were several stories about this country not being ‘the land of hope’, including tragedies of those who did survive,” she added.

A few years ago, Coco connected with historian Carl Ballenas, the president of Friends of Maple Grove, along with Executive Director Helen Day. Ballenas asked Coco if she would perform her play at the Center and Coco obliged.

“As an actor, you become a conduit of human emotion. This is one story that everyone will be able to relate,” she said.

Maple Grove Cemetery is located at 127-15 Kew Gardens Road. Reservations for the show can be made by calling (347) 878-6614. There will be a Q&A session after the 30-minute performance and a reception to meet Coco will follow.

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By Merle Exit

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Once an abandoned landfill and illegal dumpsite, Socrates Sculpture Park is now a venue for art, music and the joy of the view of the New York skyline. Sculptor Virginia Overton made use of what one would see as “junk” to create her solo exhibition, “Built.”

The exhibit runs through Sept. 3 and is open to the public every day, from early mid-morning until the sun goes down. Ten pieces have been built on the site using materials gathered from nearby.

“During the six months of construction, people were able to view it and engage in conversation about the art structures,” Overton said. “There are a total of 10 pieces, the first being a billboard that you will encounter as you enter the park called ‘Untitled (Bootlegging).’”

Overton described two of her pieces that utilize old trucks, one of which is a Dodge Ram 150 pickup.

“‘Untitled (Late Bloomer)’ has a water garden in the back of it. I lined the truck bed with rubber and filled it with water and lotus plants. It has a sort of fountain running through. The lotus plants will bloom as they grow during the summer. The other, Untitled (Mobile) is a 1990 Ford tow truck that hangs a large steel tank in the back from a chain of the tow arm like a mobile. This dark blue, almost black structure sits along the skyline of the water’s edge of the river.”

There is a piece that includes a gantry, an a-frame structure used to lift heavy things. “I hung an industrial pine wooden beam from it. ‘Untitled (Suspended Beam)’ is one of many interactive pieces as you can sit on and swing from it.”

“Untitled (Gem)” is the largest sculpture in the park. “It is made of steel roof trusses that when hooked almost forms the shape of a crystal. It is 18 feet tall and forty feet long and gives an open feeling.”

“There is another piece that is steel framework and filled with horizontal pipes,” said Overton. “‘Untitled (4×8 view)’ allows visitors to look through the pipes and view various parts of the city or the park.”

Socrates Sculpture Park is equipped with an outdoor artist studio space. Overton used this site to suspend a beam that goes through an already existing hole in the roof. “Untitled (Vertical again)” produces a tree-like structure.

Another sign composition, “Untitled (Socrates sign)” is a light box that is hung above this studio space with the name of the park displayed. Overton said that there are also two other small pieces as part of the park’s exhibit.

Jess Wilcox is the curator of Socrates Sculpture Park. “I worked closely with Virginia in the discussion and vision of placing the artwork in the park as well as envisioning how the public can interact. We have crafted small labels so that people can get an idea of what Virginia thought about these works. A handout with a map is given that shows you the locations and names of the artwork.”

Wilcox said that Overton came into her mind for a solo piece because of how she typically works with found materials, in line with the history of the park. “In most cases, artists come into the park and work on their project. There is an outdoor studio with tools and facilities. The public is able to view artists working on their exhibition.”

Socrates Sculpture Park is located at 32-01 Vernon Blvd., at the intersection of Vernon Boulevard and Broadway. The Astoria ferry stops nearby and is accessible by other publication transportation as well.

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