Mission & History:
The Mission of Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts (FCCA)  is to present high-quality arts programming representative of the diverse international communities of Queens, and to foster cross-cultural dialogue through the arts.  FCCA presents both traditional and contemporary work in music, dance, puppetry, theater, and visual arts, celebrating cultures and traditions from all over the globe.  Also central to the mission is education: FCCA brings diverse teaching artists to schools and senior centers, and presents award-winning, curriculum-based programs, both at Flushing Town Hall and in schools across Queens and New York City.

FCCA's Mission Statement reads:
FCCA was founded in 1979 to be a revitalizing force for its community, a catalyst for developing and promoting the visual and performing arts in Queens, and a bridge to promote intercultural understanding through the arts in the most culturally diverse county in the United States.

Our Vision is to foster artistic excellence and innovation. We bring audiences together via high-quality arts exposure and experiences through programs in Jazz, classical and world music, theater, dance and spoken word, family and education programs, senior programs, exhibitions and free community events. Our multi-disciplinary programming reflects the diversity of our local community, while introducing audiences to new art forms and genres, and providing opportunities for artists to celebrate their traditional arts and create new work.

Flushing Town Hall building mission Starting in 1990, FCCA began a 9-year, $8 Million restoration of historic Flushing Town Hall (FTH), a landmark (1862) owned by the City of New York, transforming it into a thriving multi-disciplinary arts center that includes a 308-seat theater, gallery, garden, classroom and rehearsal space.  FCCA joined New York City's Cultural Institutions Group (CIG) in 1995; part of its mission is to act as a steward of this historic building on behalf of the city.  FCCA is also a Smithsonian Affiliate.  In 2013 FCCA completed new renovations of the exterior garden and front portico of Flushing Town Hall, and in 2014 completed an extensive interior renovation project, which included new flooring in the 1st floor lobbies and gift shop, new Heating, Ventilation and Aair Conditioning (HVAC) systems, and new floors, seats, risers, and painting of the 2nd floor theater.

FCCA bridges the past and present of Queens: Since its founding, FCCA has been recognized as the foremost presenter of Jazz in Queens, a borough that was the residence of many of the 20th century's greatest Jazz artists, including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gilespie, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Charles Mingus, Count Basie, John Coltrane, and many more.  FCCA celebrates this legacy not only with regular Jazz concerts featuring the masters of today, but also through the Queens Jazz Trail Map, which it developed, through the Queens Jazz Orchestra, which it founded, and through regular Jazz Jams and clinics to train the next generation of artists.

At the same time, FCCA's programming has evolved with the community around it, with an increased focus on the arts and cultures of China and Korea in particular.  To address these growing populations in the neighborhood, FCCA has formed a Chinese Cultural Committee and a Korean Cultural Committee.  FCCA has also expanded its programming to include arts from Latin America and South Asia.  The hallmark of FCCA's current programming is a cross-cultural focus: works that fuse or bridge different cultures, as well as larger programs that bring together presentations of art forms from different parts of the world.  This approach aims to engage diverse audiences in appreciation of each others' rich cultural heritage, fostering a mutual respect and understanding that can help to build community, in an environment in which people from all over the globe share the same space.