Art Inside and Out ...
... in the Bronx & Beyond — AAAU 4.3.25
Art is not just in museums and galleries. It’s all around us. Two examples (many more to follow in future newsletters):
In the 167th Street B/D subway station along the Grand Concourse, there are stunning mosaic works of Brooklyn artist Rico Gatson. Below is Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. The seven others are Yankees star Reggie Jackson, musicians Gil Scott-Heron, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, and writers/poets Audre Lorde, Maya Angelou and James Baldwin. All have some Bronx connection, especially Sotomayor who grew up in the Bronx and went to Cardinal Spellman High School. They’ve all been given a pretty-much permanent presence for subway riders and city explorers. (More info on these murals on the great art website Hyperallergic, and here’s IG link for Gatson: @rico_gatson.)
The mosaic work in city subway stations blows me away. The time and detailed focus it must take to create them — and nine individual ones in this case!
On a related note, in heading back to our car after seeing an opening at Upstream Gallery in Hastings-on-Hudson, we came across beautiful political paintings on a car. And then, believe it or not, the owner, Dennyow, came up to the car at the same time and we learned that he is the artist who created this great tribute to Michelle Obama as well as Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr., Marcus Garvey and Kwame Nkrumah (photos below). You can see more of his work here and @denny_ow on IG.
OK, here’s what’s happening in the next couple of weeks.
MUSIC (& Yoga Too :-)
Latin Jazz great Eddie Palmieri performs at Lehman Center for the Performing Arts in Bedford Park on Sat., April 19 at 8 PM. All the info and tickets here. And you can learn about more upcoming shows here, including Peking Acrobats (from China) performing this Saturday, April 5.
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 are always on Tuesday at 8:30 PM. And this Friday, April 4, there will be an art opening featuring Maryanne Doherty & Marianne Murray 6 to 8:30 P.M., while musicians John Pinamonti & Shannon Brown begin performing at 8 PM. To find out all of what’s happening this week, click here.
“Bronx Music Podcast,” hosted by Gary Axelbank, invites all to the next live interview/performance at The Artist on City Island this weekend, Sun. April 6 at 1 PM. He’ll be interviewing Rale and Alma Micic, a duet of married jazz musicians who did this performance on YouTube at home, hosted by Bronx Music Heritage Center during COVID. Admission is FREE! The Artist is located at 249 City Island Ave.
And Inwood Art Works also has interviews/performances with musicians and artists on their podcast, Inwood Art Works on Air. FREE!
Bartow Pell Mansion Museum in Pelham Bay Park hosts April’s First Friday, from 6 to 9 PM, featuring Miles East of ECR Music Group. All the info here and here’s a song of his at City Winery on YouTube.
On Wed., April 16, at 11 AM, Bronx Arts Ensemble is teaming up “with master yoga instructor Amaparo Chigui Santiago for a unique session, at Vladeck Hall, which is part of Amalgamated Houses in Van Corltandt Village. The session will blend movement, relaxation, and classical music. Santiago will guide participants through gentle yoga stretches, suitable for all levels of experience.” All the info here. FREE!
THEATRE
Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater and R.Evolución Latina announce performances of “Aguardiente: In Process,” a new bilingual musical written and directed by Luis Salgado for next week, Thurs., April 10 through Sat., April 12. All the info here.
Riverdale Children’s Theatre presents “Frozen Jr.” at St. Barnabas Elementary Auditorium in Woodlawn. It’s on from this Friday eve., April 4 through Sun., April 13. Tickets are $15.
And the Riverdale Rising Stars are putting on “Grease” through April 6 and its multi-generational group performs “The Diary of Anne Frank,” through April 6 as well.
PHOTO EXHIBITS
Through Tues., April 8, En Foco and Kreate Hub Bronx present “Entre el Silencio: Meditations on Silence,” at WallWorks. This exhibition features a curated selection of photographs by artists Daniela Lopez-Amequita, Itzel Basualdo, Jennifer Villanueva, Luis M. Diaz, Odette Chavez-Mayo, and Roy Baizan. “The exhibition is part of En Foco’s mission to uplift, validate, and preserve the culture and legacy of diasporic lens-based artists.” All the info here.
Bronx Documentary Center in Melrose presents Jamel Shabazz’s exhibit: “Seconds of My Life; Photographs from 1975-2025” through April 20. BDC says: “It highlights Shabazz’s talent for capturing powerful stories of identity, resilience, and community from the streets of New York and beyond.” The exhibit is at the beautiful BDC annex, 364 E. 151st St., right across from the back of the main BDC building. It’s FREE and more info here.
“Art We All One,” an exhibit of Azekiwe Providence’s photography is at Studio 13 Gallery, part of BxArts Factory, through April 4. All info here. FREE!
Through April 6 Seis del Sur presents the excellent, moving group exhibition: “HISTORIAS: The Stories Behind the Images,” at the Museum of Bronx History in Norwood. The museum is open on Saturdays, 10 AM to 4 PM. Private tours via appointment are available throughout the week. All FREE!
POETRY/OPEN MICS
At the relatively new Bronx Music Hall, Palabras Abiertas, a spoken word open mic hosted by Bronx poet Sumbodies Mama is set up for Thurs., April 10. It is open to all ages, to poetry and spoken word in any language and also for solo music performances. (Due to the mature content of some of the material this event is not suitable for minors, according to BMH.) It’s only $5. All the info here.
WRITER’S TALK
In a two-author conversation at the Melrose Library (910 Morris Ave.) about “The Young Lords,” on Thurs., April 17, 5:30 to 6:30 PM, author and professor Johanna Fernandez talks with the co-founder of the Young Lords Party and author Miguel “Mickey” Melendez about the party and their impact on New York City. “The Young Lords: A Radical History,” by Fernandez, and “We Took the Streets: Fighting for Latino Rights with The Young Lords,” by Melendez, discuss how the Young Lords resisted, educated and fought for the people. There will also be a Q & A session at the end. No registration is required. First come, first served.
ART OPENINGS/CLOSINGS/DISCUSSIONS
At the Derfner Judaica Museum in Riverdale, the exhibit “Nature’s Persistence: Recent Work by Shelley Haven,” is running through June 29. There will be a Reception and Artist’s Talk on Sun., May 4 at 1:30 PM, All the info and photos here. And here’s one of those photos from the show.
Riverfront Art Gallery, at Yonkers Public Library in downtown Yonkers, will have an opening reception of “Form and Abstraction: A Retrospective” and Poetry Reading on Sat., April 5, 2025 from 2 to 5 PM. The gallery encourages those planning to attend the opening to bring poetry written by your favorite feminist poets to read aloud. All the info here. FREE!
At the Bronx River Art Center in West Farms is the group exhibit“Resilient Roots: Ecofeminism in Video Performance.” It “explores the profound intersection of ecofeminism and contemporary art through the lens of six prominent Latin American artists. It closes on Fri., April 18 with an Artist Talk from 6:30 to 7:30 PM. FREE! All the info here.
Longwood Art Gallery, led by Bronx Council on the Arts, has an exhibit, at its Westchester Square headquarters, called “Ancestral Wisdom,” which brings together the voices of four Bronx artists whose work bridges heritage, nature, and community to challenge contemporary social and cultural constructs. It features artists Palén Obesa, asmara, Susan MacMurdy, and Darryl Alexander Moore and is curated by Lucia Warck-Meister. There will be a closing reception on April 30 from 6 to 8 PM. (I was at the opening. Excellent, meaningful exhibit that I’ll report more on next week.) All the info here.
The art exhibit, “Angst,” appears at BronxArtSpace through Sat., April 19, with a closing reception the same eve from 6 to 8 PM. It includes these artists: Lauren Caminero-Susana, Emelin Peralta, Jahzeel Peralta and Leonie Smith. And “it focuses on the cost of living. … It creeps into all our lives at some point and can shape our reality. Acknowledgment of mental health struggles are not afforded to women of color who live with anxiety due to societal pressures and standards.” Exhibit and openings are FREE! More info here.
WALLWORKS NY will host an exhibit opening called “Repainting Subway Art by TRIPL a.k.a FURIOUS,” (which is also the name of his book) on Sat., April 5 from 6 to 8 PM at Inspiration Point in Hunts Point, where WALLWORKS recently moved its Bronx headquarters to. FREE! The exhibit will be on through May 2. And this Fri., April 4, the day before the WALLWORKS exhibit, there will be a discussion with Tripl and other graffiti legends and gallery co-owners in a discussion with graffiti scholar, Edward Birzin, at the Museum of the City of New York.
At the Bronx River Art Center in West Farms is “Resilient Roots: Ecofeminism in Video Performance.” It “explores the profound intersection of ecofeminism and contemporary art through the lens of six prominent Latin American artists. It closes on April 18 with an Artist Talk from 6:30 to 7:30 PM. FREE! All the info here.
ART EXHIBITS
In Hastings-on-Hudson, not far up on the Saw Mill from the Bronx, at Upstream Gallery is a “New Artists Showcase,” (“new” meaning new folks who are now artist members of the gallery) on through April 27. More info here. Below is one of the works, by Wayne Bowen.
“The Orchid Show: Mexican Modernism,” will be open at The New York Botanical Garden’s Haupt Conservatory through April 27. All the info here.
At the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, there are several exhibits to go see, including “Alvin C. Hollingsworth: And All That Jazz,” through April 27; “It Takes Two: Unexpected Pairings,” through June 1; and “Collection Spotlight: Cityscapes,” which is ongoing. All current exhibits listed here.
Casita Maria Gallery in Hunts Point presents “You CAN Sit Here,” a multimedia solo exhibition by Bronx native Tiffany ‘Tiff McFierce’ McPherson, on through Aug. 16. More details here. FREE!
The exhibit, “The Art of the Wrapping,” at Lehman College Art Gallery is on through May 3. All the info here. FREE!
Hostos Center for Arts & Culture presents the exhibit “Roots and Rebirth: Dominican Women in Art,” through April 16. It “showcases 22 contemporary Dominican women artists deeply connected to their history and traditions, yet forging a fresh vision of their culture through new ideas, influences, and expressions.” All the info here. FREE! A photo of one of the artworks is below, which I took while seeing the excellent exhibit.
Also in downtown Yonkers is a Juried Members Competition & Exhibition at Blue Door Art Center. It’s on through April 19. FREE!
OK, have a great weekend and week, everyone. I would love to hear from you about what you’ve seen, done, experienced regarding what I include in Art All Around this. I can’t be at everything all the time, but together we can come close :-) Thanks!
Peace, Shalom, Salaam, Paz ….
Jordan