Foods, Friends, Family, Fire, Hip Hop, Peace, War and So Much More ...
... all expressed in the Bronx and a bit beyond
We’ll start with exhibits I was recently at. First, “leftovers,” at Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education.
Collage can be totally abstract. And it can also express, even if it’s a tad hidden, some clearer meaning. To me, Alexis Maria Montoya’s work, in her solo exhibit at Casita Maria in Hunts Point, is a beautiful, meaningful connection of both. Her pieces in “leftovers” share her experiences with food and family (whose roots are in Puerto Rico and Peru), in her restaurant work, and in her love of food creations and their connections. As mentioned in a description of the exhibition, it “features a series of 16 artworks collaging imagery from food, fashion and lifestyle magazines to explore the connection between food, culture and Latinx identity.”
I was interested in why almost all of the eyes in her works are covered with something. Montoya, who works as Marketing & Communications Coordinator at the Bronx Council on the Arts, said she “didn’t want an identity” with the piece. “Eyes have a lot of life of and personality,” she said. “Taking [them] away allows the viewer to connect with the piece.” If you go see the exhibit (and I hope you do) I bet you’ll notice different aspects of her work and experience your own wonder. Isn’t that largely what art is all about? (Much more detail on, and photos of, Montoya’s work here and here.) The exhibit runs until Aug. 16.
And speaking of Casita Maria, right next to Montoya’s exhibit were large studios for an after school arts program. I was impressed with pretty much everything the kids created, including these two sculptures, by Junior (sculpture at left) and Avian.
In downtown Yonkers the other day, at the public library, I stopped by the exhibit, “Bridging Chasms.” In many positive ways, it grapples with the tortuous time the whole world is suffering to various geographic degrees. To get along, to achieve peace, we must keep working at it, together, with people of other religions and nationalities. That’s the feeling I got from it. The exhibit is on until May 16. Here are some photos I took at the show.
More Exhibits ….
En Foco co-hosts an exhibit with Wallworks NYC and Judith Escalone, called “Phantasmachina,” an exhibit of works by Tricia McLaughlin, featuring a selection of drawings, paintings, and renditions of creatures in 3D animation. The opening is April 6 from 1 to 4 PM. More info here. Photo below.
En Foco also has two more exhibits: Boricua Lens: Sophie Rivera Portraits, at Pregones/PRTT, 575 Walton Ave. (by appointment only) through April 4; and The Story Unveiled: Illuminating Womxn’s Narratives at the BxArtsFactory, through March 31.
The opening of “Conzo: A Look Back at the Bronx, 1977-84,” by Joe Conzo, Jr. at the Bronx Documentary Center last week was incredible. The BDC’s annex across the street was a packed joint, with top-notch hip-hop dancers and a welcoming for all to participate. (I’m going to try to edit my video or get my hands on someone else’s to share what I saw in the next newsletter.) His exhibit is such a diverse, deeply meaningful expression of that time. From the exhibits description: “Starting at the age of 10, Joe began to carry his camera daily, photographing everything from school walkouts to the infamous fires ravaging the Bronx [thanks largely to landlords burning their own buildings for the insurance], to rap battles between the Cold Crush Brothers and other foundational Hip Hop groups.” There were all kinds of serious struggles at that time, but also incredible arts and community organizing that was fuel for its ultimate survival and growth. The exhibit continues until April 21.
Lehman Art Gallery at Lehman College in Bedford Park continues to feature a great group exhibit, “Variations: Selections From the Benefit Print Project,” through May 4.
Here’s what’s going on at Wave Hill (in Riverdale) exhibits- and performance-wise. Admission is FREE on Thursdays.
The Orchid Show at New York Botanical Garden isn’t just orchids. It also features an event, Florals in Fashion.
The Longwood Art Gallery at CUNY Hostos presents the group exhibit, “I Stood My Ground,” through May 1.
Derfner Judaica Museum in Riverdale presents “Aspects of Appearance: Portraits from the Collection in Context,” through June 30.
Just a few days to go! The Bronx Museum, on the Grand Concourse. presents the group show, “Bronx Calling: The Sixth AIM Biennial (Part I)” through March 31.
Very last minute: if you happen to be free tonight, Thurs. evening (3/28) … at 505BX in Riverdale, I’ll be sharing and discussing how my brain cancer led to my becoming an artist. Here are the details:
And on a related note, there will be an opening next week for my solo exhibit at Poe Park’s Visitor Center, on the Grand Concourse just south of Kingsbridge Road. I’ll send you the details the moment I have them!
Music
There’s one last performance of the South Bronx Concert Series this Saturday, March 30 at 7 PM at Pregones/PRTT (near 149th Street and Grand Concourse)_ featuring the Groove Collective, a jazz/funk band. More info here and tickets here. (Hope to see you there!)
An Beal Bocht Cafe in Riverdale has live music throughout the week including open mic on Tuesday eves, (and also ongoing monthly art exhibits!).
On the other side of the Bronx, there’s also an open mic night at Starving Artist on City Island this Friday, March 29 at 8 PM.
Lehman Center for the Performing Arts has several concerts coming up.
Dance
There are still four dance performances through April 6 at BAAD! (Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance), in Westchester Square (east Bronx). It’s called the BAAD!Ass Women’s Festival. Two of them are FREE! All info here.
Theatre
Lehman College presents “Facing Our Truth: 10-Minute Short Plays on Trayvon, Race & Privilege,” on Wed., April 10 at 7 PM and Thurs., April 11 at 1:30 PM. The shows are FREE. It’s being performed at the Lehman College Studio and Theatre Building, 250 Bedford Park Blvd., just east of Jerome Avenue.
Workshops/Programs for Kids & Teens
In its daytime performance for schools, on Thurs., April 4 at 10:30 AM, Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture, presents “The Paper Bag Players: It’s a Marvelous Paper Bag World.”
Bronx River Art Center, on East Tremont Avenue, provides children’s and teen art classes beginning April 8.
Blue Door Arts Center in downtown Yonkers 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.”
Artist Opportunities
Bronx Council on the Arts invites Bronx-based photographers and visual artists to design a cover for Bronx Memoir Project Volume VIII, a multi-genre anthology written during the 2023-2024 Bronx Memoir Project Workshop Series. The selected artist will receive a stipend of $500. The application deadline is Monday, April 1 at 11:59 PM. Application here.
And here’s info, via BCA, for all kinds of artists interested in applying for grants via the Hopper Prize.
Wave Hill in Riverdale provides opportunities for visual and performing artists and here’s what’s going on now, and in near future, exhibits- and performance-wise.
Making a Good Point: Austin Kleon
In the past few years, I’ve read a lot of books regarding creativity and underlined many of the authors’ good suggestions. I find many useful and thought you might too.
Here’s one from Austin Kleon’s book, “Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad.” I find it a difficult assignment, but ultra-necessary!
If you share work online, try to ignore the numbers at least every once in a while. Increase the time between your sharing and receiving feedback. Post something and don’t check the response for a week. Turn off the analytics for your blog and write about whatever you want. Download a browser plug-in that makes the numbers disappear from social media.
When you ignore quantitative measurements for a bit, you can get back to qualitative measurements. Is it good? Really good? Do you like it? You can also focus on what the work does that can’t be measured. What it does to your soul.
Have a wonderful week and weekend! And if you go see any of the above concerts or performances, I would love to know what you think!