Bronx Kids' Artwork — at the Guggenheim!
... that and much more great creative stuff going on all around us.
I was at the Guggenheim in Manhattan the other night to see Jenny Holzer’s “Light Line” exhibit. It was intense, especially relevant to this crazy, scary political time we are all amidst.
But what made me happy was the most was unexpectedly coming across a different exhibit in a large room filled with art by public school students from every one of the city’s five boroughs — including kids at PS 86 in Kingsbridge section of the Bronx!!! Students in three different grades there took part in a program called “A Year With Children: 2024.” The work in photo above is by a PS 86 sixth grader (names not included in exhibit) and is one of several in a series called “Heroic Reflections.” “Reflecting on moments of strength and resilience, young artists delved into the everyday essence of heroism, drawing inspiration from the dynamic narratives found in comic storytelling.” Fourth graders at PS 86 produced lit works — like the two below — for their part of the exhibit “Brave Lights.”
If you’re an educator of any kind — or a student! — who would like to learn more about this program, here’s a link and below is a general description.
This exhibition features works created by students participating in Learning Through Art (LTA), the Guggenheim’s artist-in-residence program in New York City public elementary schools. LTA partners teaching artists with classroom educators in each of the city’s five boroughs to design projects that explore art and ideas related to the classroom curriculum. The program fosters curiosity, critical thinking, and ongoing collaborative investigation.
Theatre
Through this coming Sunday, May 26, Pregones/PRTT presents “The Desire of the Astronaut,” “which explores the enduring myth and popular iconography of the astronaut through the fictional story of Esteban Only, the last Boricua in space.” This time, it’s at their West 47th Street Manhattan theatre — The Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre — not the one in the South Bronx. More info and tickets here. (My wife and I are planning to go to one of them. Hope to see you there!)
Looking for some more great, Bronx theatre? Riverdale Children’s Theatre (RCT), puts on great shows and has won all kinds of awards. You can check out “Rent,” next weekend. Our daughter was enrolled in that program for several years ago, but even though she’s in college now, we still love seeing RCT shows! OK, enough said:-)
Dance and Outdoor Happenings
Every summer over the last several years, there’s been a series of “Barefoot Dancing,” at Van Cortland Park where adults and kids of all ages can “kick off your shoes and learn to dance,” to all kinds of music from around the world. It’s on the grass outside the Van Cortlandt House Museum. Next Saturday, June 1, at 2 PM, it’s “with Estelle Walkin featuring Escalante Amaru (Music Medicine) who will be playing Brazilian music.” FREE! Enter the park at Broadway and West 246th Street. More info here.
There’s are so many creative happenings planned for the South Bronx Culture Festival next weekend. This year, Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education celebrates its 90th birthday with its annual gathering of musicians, artists, and much more. You can learn all about it here.
On Saturday, June 1, at 8 PM, BAAD! (Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance!) presents “Haus of Charly: Fashion Art Showcase,” “where visual artist Charly Dominguez presents a rousing runway show with body-painted muses, celebrating ballroom culture and LGBTQ community!” Tickets and more info here.
Photography
At the Bronx Documentary Center in Melrose, photographer Juanita Escobar’s exhibit (see photo above), “Orinoco - Frontera de agua - (Water Border) is a visual and literary essay featuring various stories and voices from those who have forged a life in this stateless area near the Orinoco River border between Colombia and Venezuela.” The exhibit is on through June 9. More info here.
Derfner Judaica Museum in Riverdale has an excellent photo exhibit coming up next week: “Leonard Nones: Essential Workers,” features Nones’s portraits of staff on RiverSpring Living’s Riverdale campus (also known as The Hebrew Home). “The series of 18 archival inkjet prints are tributes to the strength, resilience, and compassion of all the people who work with the Hebrew Home’s residents.” Here is one of the photos from the exhibit and you can see several more here.
Art Exhibits
At Longwood Arts Gallery (on the first floor of Hostos Community College) the exhibit “Black Shedding(s)” begins with an opening on June 5, 6 to 8 PM. You can learn more and RSVP here. FREE.
New York Botanical Garden’s new art/nature show is “Wonderland: Curious Nature,” (ends Oct. 27) with “sights, settings, and scents of the classic story of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”
The Bronx Museum’s Part II of its biennial is on through June 16. It’s always FREE.
Gallery 505 in Riverdale is currently showing “Color of an Independence,” by Jose-Luis Tejeda. Exhibit is on until June 28.
Bronx River Art Center has an excellent FREE group exhibit, “NEVER WAIT!/¡NUNCA ESPERES!” through June 8.
Music — 3 Open Mics!
As usual, An Beal Bocht in Riverdale has a lot of good live music going on, including an open mic on Tuesday nights at 8 PM. It’s FREE to get in but all are urged to “Please! Be! Generous!” to gather well-deserved tips for the performers. An Beal Bocht was just featured on Bronx News 12. Check it out.
Connaughton’s, the steakhouse in Riverdale (5700 Riverdale Ave.) also has an open mic this Friday, May 31, from 8 to 11 PM. FREE. (You can check out “Mark the Harper” on Facebook for a list of all the other music Connaughton’s hosts.)
On the other side of the Bronx, Starving Artists on City Island also has an open mic on Friday, May 31 at 8 PM. FREE. “Singers, songwriters, comics, actors, poets, musicians... all welcome!”
Classes/Programs for Kids & Adults
Every Saturday from 2 to 4 PM, BronxArtSpace, on 700 Manida St., provides FREE art classes for all ages, which include drawing, painting, collage and flip-book animation.
Also open to all ages, is “Sing With Us!,” weekly Monday night singing classes through June 17 for adults and school-age kids from 5:30 to 6:30 PM, (except Memorial Day) at Bronx Music Heritage Center. For more info go to @bxmusic on Facebook and Instagram or email lmolde@whedco.org.
Great interactive exhibits and programs at the relatively new Bronx Children’s Museum.
Bronx River Art Center, on East Tremont Avenue, provides children’s and teen art classes.
Blue Door Arts Center in downtown Yonkers has a FREE workshop that features many FREE kids’ and teens’ art workshops.
Through its Youth Photo League, Bronx Documentary Center in Melrose offers a “FREE after-school and summer documentary photography programs [that] teach[es] middle and high school Bronx students to use photography, writing, and research to explore social justice issues and prepare them for college and future careers.”
Every summer and fall/spring season, Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center in Wakefield (northeast Bronx near 2/5 trains) offers a number of FREE art programs for kids and teens in addition to public performances, workshops and presentations.
A Bit Beyond The Bronx
I’ve wanted to more frequently include what’s going on in neighborhoods just beyond the Bronx, like in Inwood and downtown Yonkers. I’m not there yet, but I’m working on it! In the meantime, here are a couple of links to Yonkers happenings:
Some online, and in-person art workshops at the Riverfront Art Gallery in the downtown Yonkers Public Library.
And there are several exhibits at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers.
Artist Opportunities
The Bronx Council on the Arts regularly posts opportunities for artists of all kinds. And residencies and grants for artists listed here. And all kinds of grant opportunities provided by BCA here.
OK, I hope you enjoy at least one happening listed above, or find something in The Bronx that you discover yourself!
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