Art, Music, Theatre All Around Us ...
... This Week and Next in the Bronx and Beyond
To start, here are a couple of wonderful exhibits just beyond the Bronx that I saw on Saturday.
I was at the opening of an excellent, moving, joyful exhibit by artist Elizabeth de Bethune, which is on through Feb. 29 at the White Plains Library. It’s called “Out in Yonkers: Portraits from the Yonkers LGBTQ.” Here are some of those paintings, along with a couple of my photos of their subjects in person. The presence of these folks was an awesome addition to the opening.
Brief interviews with all of those painted by de Bethune are here, as are the photos of each piece in process, particularly emphasizing what different colors are used that originally look little like the colors created but leads to what you see in the end. (I took a great class regarding colors with de Bethune at Pelham Art Center last fall.) This exhibit runs until Feb. 29.
Also related to Yonkers, Blue Door Art Center, where I’ve participated in several group exhibits (but not this one), has an excellent show of members’ work. I really love the way Blue Door curates. In addition to choosing wonderful diverse work, the way they hang and exhibit it is top-notch!
More Exhibits and Performances …
A closing exhibit of “Temporal Release,” by Tanya Perez at The Bronx Art Factory, 240 E. 153rd St., takes place this Friday eve, Jan. 26, from 6 to 8:30 PM.
Pregones, a gorgeous small Bronx theatre on 575 Walton Ave, between East 149th and 150th Streets, has a cool show coming up on Feb. 4 called: “48 Hours in … El Bronx,” featuring 30 artists, 6 new 10-minute plays, all in one. In these performances, Pregones is partnering with Harlem 9. Here’s one of the many actors in it:
“Variations: Selections from the Benefit Print Project” will begin with an opening at Lehman Art Gallery at Lehman College in Bedford Park on Feb. 7. (You need to sign up on website before going.)
The relatively new Bronx Children’s Museum (its building opened in December 2022) looks like a must-see, and lots of creative doing there for kids and families!
And, while I mentioned this in the last newsletter, I want to bring the next Bronx Documentary exhibit opening for “Through Our Eyes” by young folks to your attention again, as it is this Friday eve, Jan. 26 from 6 to 9 PM. Here’s another great pic from the exhibit:
Looking for some Live Music?
I’m not an expert on all that is going on live-music-wise throughout the Bronx but here are a few places to see concerts and local live music. (Let me know of anyplace you go to see live music in the Bronx and I’ll include it in the near future!)
There are concerts of all kinds at Lehman Center for the Performing Arts in Bedford Park, from Hip Hop to classical to jazz and salsa and more. Speaking of which, salsa legend Andy Montanez is playing there on March 2.
Hostos Community College (near the corner of E. 149th St. and the Grand Concourse) also has concerts, including A Palo Seco Flamenco Company on Feb. 3.
An Beal Bocht, an artsy Irish pub in Riverdale has music almost every evening including opening mics on Tuesday. Schedule is here.
Starving Artist on City Island has concerts and open mics.
One More Thing …
Art All Around Us is available for free. I want more Bronxites — especially young folks — and those beyond to check out what you didn’t know about or haven’t checked out yet. There’s great creative stuff going on in our borough and its vicinity. It’s not all in mid-town or downtown Manhattan!
That said, to keep this going on a weekly basis — and I want to do just that! — I need some readers, those who can afford it, to become paid subscribers.
And equally helpful is letting your friends and neighbors know that it exists!
Thanks so much! I hope you all get to see some creativity in the Bronx and beyond this weekend or soon thereafter!
-Jordan
P.S. My Instagram, featuring my photography and abstract/mixed media art is: @jordanmossbx (same for Threads). And I sell greeting cards featuring my original photography here.
Great post, Jordan!