Art All Around Us — 6.12.25
Music, Film, Art Openings, Theatre & oh .... Democracy!
Democracy’s descent is upon us. Vast attacks on freedom and basic legal and human rights are no longer a prediction; they are a current catastrophe. If you’re reading this, you’re likely to be interested in art of all kinds, yet Trump has already taken over control of the Kennedy Center and firing (or attempting to fire) Smithsonian museum leaders.
It’s from the tyranny textbook. Art is synonymous with free expression, but that’s why dictators detest artwork, even if they have no clue — and no desire to think — about what it might express.
But artists and communities do have power. They’re expressing just that in Los Angeles and around the country right now, not just about art, but about the federal attacks on immigrants, citizens and activists who are doing what democracy depends on — speaking out, protesting, writing, organizing and everything else that sustains, grows and emboldens what our founders handed over to us.
So, what’s one thing can we do right now? As stated in the flier above, this Sat., June 14, is Day of Action, taking place in cities and towns all across America. And that includes the Bronx from 12:30 to 1:30 PM. Before you head down to Bryant Park in midtown Manhattan for the larger action— or if you just have time for heading to a local gathering — we will be meeting up for our borough’s expression of “No Kings in America” Fordham Plaza.
All the info in flier above. I really hope to see some of you there!
OK, let’s head to the sites of self-expression of all kinds which, as you know, are all around us ….
ART OPENINGS/EVENTS
Bronx River Art Center celebrates the artwork of students from its 2025 classes with an opening on Sat., June 14 from 12 to 4 PM. FREE!
At The Longwood Art Gallery (part of Bronx Council on the Arts) in Westchester Square, Bronx, the group exhibition “Transformative Impact” will be highlighted with a special event on Wed., June 18 from 6 to 8 PM featuring “LoopCurrent,” a “performance by Maya Ciarrocchi that explores humanity’s lasting impact on the planet and imagines a world shaped by our future descendants.” All the info here and here. See photo below.
Polish dance artists Katarzyna Pastuszak (left) and Natalia Chylińska (right). Photo by Maya Ciarrocchi. Speaking of Ciarrocchi’s work, at the Derfner Judaica Museum in Riverdale, Ciarrocchi on Sunday, June 22 from 1:30 to 3 PM will lead “Site: Yizkor,” a participatory workshop where attendees of all ages are invited to reflect on the vanished places in their lives through drawing, writing, storytelling, and bookmaking. During the workshop, participants will focus on describing and visualizing a vanished place of personal importance or a place they once lived. FREE!
Pelham Art Center in Pelham, NY is just a bit north of the northeast Bronx, and Metro North stops right nearby. The exhibit “13th Biennial Alexander Rutsch Award Winner: ransome” is on through July 13. “The artwork of ransome centers on his African American lineage, which is traced back to sharecroppers of the American South who migrated to northern cities along the East Coast. His pictorial narratives are personal, yet the symbols he uses are universal and interplay with larger social, racial, ancestral, economic, and political histories that inform our nation to this day.” Details here.
OUTDOORS
Next Thurs., June 19, Van Cortlandt Park Alliance and Bronx Arts Ensemble invite you to an evening celebration of Juneteenth on the lawn of the Van Cortlandt House Museum. It’s from 5 to 7:30 PM. If you can come at 5 or soon thereafter, you can purchase dinner from Viola Afrique. The ceremony will begin at 6 PM with performances, including music and spoken word. Then there will be a procession with drums to the Enslaved African Burial Ground with a libation ceremony, honoring the memory of the enslaved people. More info here!
And this Sun., June 15 from 1 to 3 PM, photographer Ricky Flores will have an opening reception for his outdoor exhibit “Dance Evolution at Orchard Beach” in Pelham Bay Park. All the info here and here.
DANCE, etc.
This month, Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture in the South Bronx offers a workshop and two masterclasses: a playwriting and theatre workshop through June 25; A masterclass workshop in Bomba dance on June 17; and a Juneteenth Celebration on Wed., June 18 featuring dance, music and spoken word. All the info right here.
Lots going on at BAAD! (Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance) in Westchester Square this month thanks to its “Out Like That” series. All the info here.
FILM
The movie “Jaws” came out 50 years ago this month, so Norwood resident and “Jaws” fan Jarrett Murphy has organized an anniversary screening of it on City Island on Sat., June 21 at 6 PM. It’s at Cinema on the Sound, 270 City Island Ave., Bronx. Get tickets ($10) here. And more info here. The event also presents the opportunity to “learn about local efforts to save the ocean, protect sharks and preserve the working waterfront.”
You can see Prince’s “Purple Rain” movie at The Hudson, a restaurant/event-space at 348 Dyckman St. in Inwood (Manhattan), along with a pre-show dance and class by Harlem Swing Dance Society on Monday, June 16 at 7:30 PM. FREE! All the info here and here. (I saw “Purple Rain” 40 years ago freshman year at college. Not a 5-star film but the music, and Prince himself, are pretty awesome.
THEATRE
At Bartow-Pell Mansion in Pelham Bay Park, there will be performances of Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” through June 15. All the info here.
And City Island Theatre Group, right across the little bridge from Pelham Bay Park, presents the play, “Ripcord,” written by David Lindsay-Abaire and directed by James Mohn, is on June 13 and 14 at 7:30 PM. All the details here.
Info on Riverdale Children’s Theatre summer session for third to tenth graders is right here.
MUSIC
The Bronx River Art Center presents the Bronx River Sound Festival on three Saturdays this month: June 14, 21 & 28. All the info here.
There’s a good bit of creative performances and gatherings this month at the Bronx Music Hall, a great, relatively new, theatre on East 163rd Street (right next to Boricua College) including: open mics, concerts and a Juneteenth Jubilee. All the info here.
Last week, Gary Axelbank hosted DJ Whutever — the official DJ for the New York Mets — on his Bronx Music Podcast live at The Artist on City Island. (You can see the interview right here on YouTube.) DJ Whutever is also the CEO of the “Whutever it Takes DJ Academy,” an after school program that teaches students the art of DJ-ing. And, the first Sunday of every month, you can see, live and in person, Bronx Music Podcast interviews. FREE!
As usual, there is a lot of great live music, as well as art and theatre, to check out at An Beal Bocht Café in Riverdale. Open mics, with Eric Sullivan are every Tues. at 9 PM. Writers/Poetry Night with Melinda Wilson & Erin Lynn is on the 2nd Wednesday of every month. Yet there’s so much more. Check it all out here.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Through June 22, Bronx Documentary Center’s Youth Photo League (YPL) exhibition features a range of photojournalism and documentary projects rooted in the Bronx. (See student photo above.) “Each piece is grounded in the students’ lives and communities, offering an inside look at the South Bronx through their eyes.” The BDC’s YPL is for students aged 12 to 18 years old. FREE! All the info here.
“Throwback: The Photography of Edwin Pagán,” an exhibit of the Bronx native filmmaker and photographer, is up at Pregones/PRTT Theatre in the South Bronx through Aug. 17. It’s presented in partnership with En Foco. All the info here.
Through June 27, Riverdale Y features the exhibit, “The Bronx & The World War II Era,” commemorating the 80th anniversary of the war, sponsored by the Riverdale-based group Art for AID. You can look here at the photos in the exhibit, which are also for sale at a relatively low cost.
En Foco and Kreate Hub Bronx present the photo exhibit “Shifting In Place” through Sept. 1 at Kreate Hub in the South Bronx. The exhibition features a curated selection of photographs by artists previously featured with Nueva Luz or the En Foco Archives and Study Center.
ART EXHIBITS
There are exhibits of several artists at Wave Hill this summer and above and below are a couple of photos of Riverdale artist Michelle Frick’s work. (There are also very cool photos of her work on her website.)
The exhibit at Bronx Museum on the Grand Concourse is “Working Knowledge: Shared Imaginings, New Futures.” It’s on through July 6. (All visits to Bronx Museum are FREE!) Much of the art is incredibly interactive.
“Van Gogh’s Flowers” is open at New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx and the extensive exhibit is open until Oct. 21. All the info here. (By the way, Bronx residents can get FREE access to see most of NYBG. Learn more here.)
Wilfredo BIO Feliciano’s solo exhibition, “king of hearts” at WALLWORKS, NY (now based at Inspiration Point in Hunts Point) is on through Thurs., June 13. FREE!
BronxArtSpace presents in its Giving Light Social Justice Series: “Honouring Black Motherhood, Remembrance, and Reproductive Rights,” through June 19. The artists are Laura Alvarez, Wilhelmina Grant, Sandie Luna, Omari Maynard, Andrea Marie, and Kelly Nicely. The curators are Beverly Emers & Flor Montero. More info here. FREE!
Riverdale Art Association hosts member exhibits, and its website shares members’ artwork. It also gathers artists to share and discuss their work in person. Check out all it offers right here. And you can see works of members here.
Through November, Bronx County Historical Society presents the exhibit “Uptown Rumble: Heavy Music in the Bronx,” Here’s what the show is all about: “While The Bronx is universally recognized as an epicenter for hip hop, salsa, doo-wop, jazz, reggaeton, and many other popular music genres, our borough is ignored in popular narratives about hard rock, heavy metal, and punk rock.” The show, at the Bronx History Museum in Norwood, features photos, flyerz, fanzines, clippings, memorabilia, oral history and more. FREE!
At the Derfner Judaica Museum in Riverdale, the exhibit “Nature’s Persistence: Recent Work by Shelley Haven,” is running through June 29. FREE! All the info and photos here.
The beautiful Riverfront Gallery at the Yonkers Public Library in downtown Yonkers features the work of artist Elizabeth de Bethune through June 30. “de Bethune transforms the ordinary moments of everyday life — whether shared with family, friends, or the Queer community in Yonkers — into vibrant, textural paintings that resonate with warmth and intimacy.” All the info here.
OK, everyone. Hope you have time to enjoy at least one of the above, and if you come to the rally (info in intro above) at Fordham Plaza this Saturday, I hope to see you there!
Have a great weekend!
Peace, Paz, Shalom, Salaam,
Jordan