Art All Around Us ... 12.4.24
Foil Motorcycles, Train Track Remains, and a Bronx Buzz Interview With Me ...
Before I get going, sharing what I share weekly in this newsletter, I need to ask you a favor. If you dig Art All Around Us, find it useful, and/or have enjoyed checking out something you’ve come across here, can you please, please, please share the newsletter with a friend or two? There are many more people in the entire Bronx and a bit beyond who would enjoy taking part in something I share here. (And I think we all need some additional joy these days.) But I can’t do that myself. To help out, you can just email the link of this issue to a friend or two, or just click the button below … RIGHT NOW, PLEASE! This is one thing that will add to the likelihood that I will continue producing Art All Around Us for the foreseeable future. Thanks a ton! —Jordan
OK, I’ll start with this …
It’s a real pleasure for me to come across exhibits I wasn’t intending to see. I was at Manhattan University (the former Manhattan College) in Riverdale and came across this sculpture exhibit (photo below), “Bootleg,” in MU’s library lobby. It’s by artist Jude Tallichet and here’s some of what she shares to explain her work: “I try to disrupt conventional modes of seeing, and encourage a deeper engagement with the familiar and the overlooked by manipulating texture and form.” When I looked through some of the openings in the aluminum foil I saw some shaped materials to hold the foil, like what appeared to be a shape of metal to represent the tires. But many of the shaped parts were sustained by nothing. Interesting. I’d like to learn more about the artist’s process. When I do, I’ll share with you what I’ve learned. In the meantime, feel free to check it out. It’s open to visitors.
Holiday Art Markets
Holiday shopping ads for national and international chains began bombarding us back in October. We don’t have to pay attention. There are other options, including buying local, and especially from local artists. Here are the ones I’ve heard about:
On Sunday, Dec. 8, from noon to 3 PM, Riverspring Living (also known as The Hebrew Home) hosts an Art Festival & Holiday Market. You can support local Bronx artists at this event, which is at 5901 Palisade Ave. in Riverdale.
There will be local artists sharing cards, jewelry, ornaments and more in the 2024 Holiday Bazaar at Blue Door Art Center in downtown Yonkers through Dec. 24. More info and schedule details here. And as Blue Door reports, “Holiday treats will be served, join in on the fun. Meet the artists, mingle with your community. We offer free gift wrapping with purchase.” Of course, it’s FREE to attend! More info here.
And though it’s not in the Bronx (it is in the relatively nearby — by car especially — Long Island City), the BrickHouse Ceramic Art Center presents its Ceramics Holiday Market from Dec. 13 to Dec. 15. It’s FREE! More info here. And the beautiful ceramic items below are by Bronxite Ellen Pollan, who is taking part in the Holiday Market.
Art and … Food!
OK, this might not seem related to art, but the existence of a tasting tour in a Bronx neighborhood is experiencing creativity nonetheless — in sight and, well, taste. And depending on where you live in the big borough of the Bronx, taking part in a tour of Mott Haven (the most south of South Bronx neighborhoods) might be a bit of a hike from home. So, it’s gonna be helpful to know where you can get lunch or dinner nearby. How? Well, the nonprofit Oyate Group that provides tours to support Taste of Mott Haven, has one more date coming up for a FREE tour — and taste — of restaurants in the area, on Wed., Dec. 11. You can sign up here. (Thanks to the excellent, progressive political writer on Substack, @Micah Sifry, for letting me know about this!)
Music
This Sunday, Dec. 8, from 4 to 5 PM, Fordham University Choirs performs “Festival of Lessons and Carols” at Fordham University Church, co-presented with the Bronx Arts Ensemble. More info here.
An Beal Bocht, an artsy Irish pub in Riverdale has live music and other artsy events throughout the week.
Theatre
This Thursday, Dec. 5, at 7 PM Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture presents an Annual Kwanzaa Celebration: Honoring the Spirit of Kujichagulia,
Leadership, Activism and Self-Determination through the Arts. It features a performance of music and dance by the African dance collective Arts In Blue. Admission is FREE. All the info here.From Dec. 5 to Dec. 9, Bronx Music Hall presents, “Excavating the Rising Star,” a 90-minute original documentary play about a group of female archaeologists that excavated previously-unknown hominid fossils in South Africa in 2013 and 2018. Tickets are $25.
Inspiration Point in Hunts Point presents “All She Cares About is the Yankees,” a play by John Ford Noonan. It runs this weekend from Dec. 6 to Dec. 8. Click here for more info and tickets, ranging from $0 to $20.
In Woodlawn, Riverdale Children’s Theatre presents “Santa Claus: The Musical,” Dec. 6 to Dec. 15, at St. Barnabas Elementary School in Woodlawn. More info here and tickets here. Take my word for it, please: RCT is an incredible youth theatre company that has won all kinds of awards it really deserves. Our daughter was in many performances, and though she’s now in college, we still go see excellent RCT shows which are also at the University of Mount St. Vincent in Riverdale.
Talking About Newsletter and My Own Work On Bronx Buzz
Thanks to native Bronxite and host of BX BUZZ on BRONXNET, Gary Axelbank, whom I’ve known since the early 1990s when I was editor of the Norwood News.
Art Exhibits
There’s a closing exhibit of a great group exhibit, “Yo Soy de Aquí / I am From Here,” at WALLWORKS NEW YORK in Mott Haven, this Friday, Dec. 6, from 6 to 8 PM. It features artists Lizzy Alejandro, Alexis Marie Montoya, and Kamille Vargas-Estrella. FREE!
At Bronx Art Space “See This Country Clearly,” an exhibit by Jonathan Allen and Michael Paul Britto and curated by Sara Reisman is on through Dec. 21. It features the artists’ “distinct but complementary practices converge around the politics of civic life … Working in collage, text, public address, video, and installation, Allen and Britto question what it means, in this pivotal time, to be on the right side of history, and how to really see our country for what it is, a flawed democracy, the course of which has shifted away from historically democratic safeguards.” More info here. FREE!
At Lehman College Art Gallery, through Jan. 18, 2025, is “Incandescence: The Chandelier in Contemporary Art Works” by 45 artists exploring “the motif and meaning of the chandelier through sculptural forms, photography, painting, drawing, installation and video.” All the details here and here. FREE!
The Derfner Judaica Museum, at the Hebrew Home in Riverdale, features “Artfully Arranged: Floral Works from the Collection” through Feb. 2, 2025. FREE!
“FUTURA 2000: BREAKING OUT,” at the Bronx Museum is “a retrospective of this singular artist’s evolution from early graffiti art styles to his current practice of contemporary abstraction. The exhibition is the most comprehensive examination of FUTURA 2000’s five-decade career ever presented in his hometown of New York City.” It runs through March 20, 2025. FREE!
There are a couple of great exhibits at Wave Hill right now and there is more info on all of them right here. Admission is FREE on Thursdays.
Through Jan. 26, 2025 in Norwood, the Museum of Bronx History presents the group exhibition of Seis del Sur: “HISTORIAS: The Stories Behind the Images.” The museum is open on Saturdays, 10 AM to 4 PM. Private tours via appointment are available throughout the week. All FREE!
Families/Kids
Now, this sounds really fun! Mind Builders in Wakefield hosts Mind Your Beat Dance Battles! this Saturday, Dec. 7 from 6:45 PM to 8 PM. Sign up to battle, level up with a free coaching session, or just come to hype up the dancers! Dance Battle Entry Fee: $5 (battlers & audience). Sign up required for battle (only for ages 9 to 15). Cash prizes $50 to $200. More info here.
Have you ever checked out the Holiday Train Show at The New York Botanical Garden? Always fun and stunning for all ages. It’s on through Jan. 20. All info here.
BxArtsFactory in Melrose provides a useful series of video lessons on their website for families doing art at home.
There are various kids’ art workshops at Bronx Children’s Museum, which opened just a little less than a year ago. Info here (scroll down page for listing). And here’s a link to all the “active” exhibit space and happenings.
Blue Door Art Center in downtown Yonkers offers FREE classes/programs for kids on Saturday mornings.
A Bit Beyond the Bronx
If you dig Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” you’re gonna love this: celebrating “the 50th anniversary of the album with an immersive, full-dome planetarium show at Hudson River Museum in Yonkers on multiple days in December. Organized around the album’s 10 iconic tracks, this show “journeys through futuristic visions and retro nods to Pink Floyd’s visual legacy.” Tickets here. And more info here.
And check out the museum’s FREE first Fridays this week, on Dec. 5, from 5 to 8 PM, featuring “Dueling Pianos,” a “high-energy, comedic showdown as two pianists, backed by drums, battle it out with classic rock and contemporary hits—powered by audience requests.”
Just over the bridge from Bronx to Manhattan on Broadway are art happenings in Inwood organized by Inwood Art Works which supports ongoing creative happenings of all kinds. Check it all out here.
In Pelham, very close to the Bronx border’s northeast section, there are ongoing art exhibits and events at the Pelham Art Center. Check them all out here.
Artist Opportunities and Awards
The Bronx River Art Center has an open call for artists who maintain collections of any kind to participate in an upcoming exhibition that explores the intimate relationship between artistic practice and collecting. It is for the exhibit “Between Inspiration and Collecting: The Artist's Cabinet.” The deadline is Dec. 15. More info here.
The deadline to apply for Bronx Council on the Arts’ BRIO Award is Jan. 13, 2025. Each year, BRIO (Bronx Recognizes Its Own) provides direct support to individual Bronx artists who create works in the literary, media, visual, and performing arts with awards of $5,000. BCA provides a few sessions around the borough for likely applicants re: info and advice on completing the application. You can check out BCA’s website on this for more info, and the application itself. BCA also has a listing of additional organizations that provide various “calls for artists.”
Photography
Through April 8, 2025, En Foco and Kreate Hub present the curated group photo exhibit “Entre el Silencio: Meditations on Silence” at WallWorks in Mott Haven. “The exhibition is part of En Foco’s mission to uplift, validate, and preserve the culture and legacy of diasporic lens-based artists.” Click here for more information.
In partnership with Pregones, En Foco presents the exhibition “In The Spirit Y En El Espíritu: Works by Mariana Yampolsky” at the Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater (575 Walton Ave., Bronx). It runs through March 31, 2025 and features portraits by Mexican photographer Yampolski (1925–2002), and is curated by Xavier Robles Armas. FREE!
Dance
Los Nutcrackers: A Christmas Carajo, Fri., Dec. 6 to Dec. 14 at BAAD! (Bronx Academy of Art & Dance) $25. Tickets/info here.
Check It Out …
I haven’t sufficiently highlighted the Substack sites of artists and creators I really dig. I’ll be doing that more regularly. I’ll start with Notes From A Stick Writer by my good friend, Kitty Clark, a choreographer, dancer and writer, who focuses on what she encounters and feels in the great outdoors. Her posts and videos articulate a lot of what I see and wonder about on my daily explorations. And I really love her writing! Check out the latest!
Enjoy the week and weekend, everyone!
Peace, Salaam, Shalom,
Jordan
First-I loved that interview on Bronx Buzz. Second-great photo of the old station. Third-thanks for promoting my Substack; I appreciate that and your words about my work. Fourth- we need to see each other!!!! I’ll be in NYC in January for APAP conference which is an insanely crazy 4 days. If not then, sooner than later!!! ❤️