A Moving Bronx Museum Exhibit ...
... a poetry writing class at Poe Cottage, events throughout June, and much more.
Yesterday, I was near the Bronx Museum of the Arts, so I stopped in to see if they had put in a new exhibit in their big space yet. They had and it’s a must-see. “Darrell Ellis: Regeneration” features the work of the Bronx native, who died of AIDS in 1992 at the age of 33. The exhibit is extensive, covering what seemed like every focus of Ellis’ work in two very large connected spaces. I’m not a professional art critic. I don’t think I can describe what I dig about it sufficiently. But I will say this: His work is deeply meaningful to me for two reasons: It combines his — and others’ — photography with his own painting, something I’ve thought about, without actually doing, for the last several years. (I do abstract art and photography, but separately.) So I find his work inspiring in that regard. And his altering, covering, ripping, combining, and editing conveys his exploration and experience of many aspects of his life in the Bronx and beyond. Here are a few photos from the exhibit. They don’t sufficiently convey its intense expressions and beauty, so check out the entire exhibit in person if you can. I’d love to know what you think about it.
By the way, the Bronx Museum is free to all and right off the D train, and BX 1 & 2 buses.
In heading to the Bronx Library Center by Fordham Road yesterday to write this newsletter, I went by Poe Cottage in Poe Park — which is just off the Grand Concourse at Kingsbridge Road —and learned they’ve been giving free poetry seminars for the last month on a weekly basis and the last ones are this week, Saturday from noon to 2 and next Wednesday, June 7 from 3:30 to 5:30. I’m going to try to get to the one on Wednesday. To sign up, go to the lower left of Bronx County Historical Society web page or this page where the prior page links to..
And here are some links to other arts of all kinds going on in the Bronx:
At Williamsbridge Oval Park in Norwood, this Saturday, June 3, from 2 to 4 p.m. the Bangladeshi Academy of Fine Arts will perform.
There’s a South Bronx Culture Festival, with multiple performances, this whole weekend, June 2 to 4!
Throughout June, Bronx River Arts Center puts on a performing arts festival “Bronx River Sounds 2023.”
At the Bronx Documentary Center, a year-end exhibition through June 18.
Gallery 505 in Riverdale features the artwork of Sylvia Vigliana through June 30.
Ongoing and current exhibits at the Derfner Judaica Museum in Riverdale.
Pregones/PRTT, with theaters in the Bronx and Manhattan, is performing “Torched” in much of June in Manhattan.
Substack has been a great online platform for me to launch and build this newsletter and connect with other writers and artists I’m interested in, including people I know. About 15 years ago, when I was editor of the Norwood News, we created a journalism program for high school students who wrote and reported for the paper’s supplement, Bronx Youth Heard. A student who stood out with a focused passion for reporting and writing was Andrew Boryga, a Bronx native who began writing for The New York Times at 18! He’s now a novelist and his first book, “Victim,” will be published by Doubleday in March 2024! Check out his excellent Substack site, Dwell, with essays focusing on his experiences as a writer, novelist, husband, dad and, of course, native Bronxite!
I post Art All Around Us every 2 weeks. Subscriptions are free, though I’ll seek voluntary paid subscriptions in the future. The best way you can support this newsletter now is to share it with just one or two friends you think might be interested. For that, I would be truly grateful!
Have a great weekend!