LIC RUG WAREHOUSE

In Long Island City, New York, where the Rainforest Art Foundation has been located since 2008 (after its founding in 2001), we’re now preparing to reopen the Marlene Yu Museum there as well. That building, a former rug warehouse, was transformed by James Yu into a light-filled gallery, studio, and exhibition space—and even won the Queens Chamber of Commerce Building Design Award.

Ironically, the warehouse’s original extra-wide elevator, used to transport rugs, turned out to be perfect for Marlene’s massive, rolled canvases. We eventually had to replace it to meet NYC building codes, but the spirit of creative adaptation lives on.

When the museum reopens in October, it will feature:

• Main exhibition hall and gift shop on the first floor

• Rainforest Art Foundation gallery on the second floor

• Marlene Yu’s working studio on the third floor

We envision a space that goes beyond exhibition—a place for film screenings, workshops, performances, and interactive community art. Much like the Kids Can: Oceans of Adaptation program we created at the Rainforest Art Foundation—where children create fish and coral, adding them to a growing reef installation—we want people of all ages to contribute to something bigger than themselves.