'Left foot, right foot, left foot, breathe'

... and heading to be with others at a Bronx art happening might be good for all ...

I don’t know what to say. And I don’t think if I waited more hours/days before posting that I would do any better. I went to sleep election night after coming home from a friend’s house, watching the campaign results, and left as the red kept staying ahead of the blue. When I woke up, I learned that the red crossed the finish line. Not shocking but devastating.

At Tibbett’s Diner in Kingsbridge that morning I was just, well, numb, sitting in a booth alone, head in hand, listening to two men in a booth next to me, seemingly citing what went wrong, yet moving on to other things to smile about. I just didn’t feel capable of that, even if a friend had been sitting with me. I did pretty much nothing that day except nap a long while.

I hope to have more useful info to share, like how crucial art of all kinds is at a time like this. For our collective moment, here’s a great suggestion from excellent writer Anne Lamott:

Today, I do not have a single interesting theological insight, but I can tell you one thing for sure: goodness and karma bat last. In the meantime, left foot, right foot, left foot, breathe.

---

My Photo Exhibit Opening — Thurs., Nov. 14

It’s already up and running but there will be an “opening” on Thursday, Nov. 14, from 7 to 9 PM, for my photo exhibit, “All In Sight,” at An Beal Bocht, an awesome artsy pub in Riverdale. (It will be up and running until the end of the month.) I hope some of you can make it! There will be some live music that An Beal Bocht always has, and some appetizers. You can learn a little bit more about the exhibit here. And here are a couple of my photos in the show, the name of one I’m not remembering at the moment.

Photo by Jordan Moss

“All Hands on Deck,” by Jordan Moss

---

Dance/Theatre

• BAAD! (Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance) presents — with Pepatián — “Maima: The Water Spirit,” “a dance performance exploring the language of movement as a way of communication and time travel through music this Sat., Nov. 9 at 8 PM. Sliding scale between $0 and $20. Tickets and more info here. There are two more events in in the next couple of weeks that are a part of this Dancing Futures Program.

---

Photography

DeWitt Clinton High School, Bronx,1972, by Ken Light/Contact Press image.

• “Ken Light | American Stories:1969-1995” (see photo above) at Bronx Documentary Center “showcases three decades of work by photographer Light, highlighting significant moments in American history from 1969 to 1995.” Exhibit through Nov. 17. Check out the pic and video on Bronx Documentary Center’s website regarding its current exhibit,

• En Foco, in partnership with Pregones and the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, launches the exhibition “In The Spirit Y En El Espíritu: Works by Mariana Yampolsky” at the Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater (575 Walton Ave., Bronx). It runs through March 31, 2025 and features portraits by Mexican photographer Yampolski (1925–2002), and is curated by Xavier Robles Armas. The exhibition is an initiative of the Nueva Luz Study Center (NLSC) and part of En Foco’s mission to preserve the culture and legacy of diasporic lens-based artists. FREE!

---

Art Exhibits/Happenings

• The Casita Maria Gallery, of the Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education in Hunts Point, presents the exhibit “Animal Studies,” by Maria P. Vila, through March 6, 2025. The work of Vila, a teaching artist at Casita Maria, “features a series of watercolor, soft pastel and oil paintings combining animal imagery with poetry and collage as a form of healing.” FREE!

• At Lehman College Art Gallery, through Jan. 18, 2025 (and at two other CUNY colleges) is “Incandescence: The Chandelier in Contemporary Art Works” by 45 artists exploring “the motif and meaning of the chandelier through sculptural forms, photography, painting, drawing, installation and video.” All the details here and here. FREE!

• The Derfner Judaica Museum, at the Hebrew Home in Riverdale, features “Artfully Arranged: Floral Works from the Collection” through Feb. 2, 2025. It’s a “thematic exhibition [that] features 24 prints, paintings, drawings, and mixed media works spanning the mid-20th century to the aughts by 20 artists who use flowers and floral forms to explore the intersection of the natural and urban worlds; formalism; decorative design motifs; symbolism, and mortality.” FREE! You can also see on Derfner’s website many of the paintings and more info on the exhibit. Here’s one of the photos in the exhibit.

Herman Rose (b. Brooklyn, New York, 1909–d. New York, NY, 2007), Daffodils and Arrowhead Vines, 1954. Oil on board, 20 x 14 1/4 in. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Lester Coleman.

• Through Nov. 16, BronxArtSpace features “Intersecting Visions,” by artists Andre Trenier & Lady K Fever and curated by Christine DeFazio. There’s a closing celebration on Sat., Nov. 16 from 5 to 7 PM. FREE. More info here.

• “FUTURA 2000: BREAKING OUT,” at the Bronx Museum is “a retrospective of this singular artist’s evolution from early graffiti art styles to his current practice of contemporary abstraction. The exhibition is the most comprehensive examination of FUTURA 2000’s five-decade career ever presented in his hometown of New York City.” It runs through March 20, 2025. FREE!

• Through Jan. 26, 2025 in Norwood, the Museum of Bronx History in Norwood presents the group exhibition of Seis del Sur: “HISTORIAS: The Stories Behind the Images.” “This interactive multimedia exhibition will go below the surface of the collective’s documentary photographs of The Bronx … and illuminate the borough’s historical narrative through contextual timelines, meta and personal anecdotes.” The museum adds that the pop-up showcase “will cover a broad range of issues … that have impacted the people of the Bronx over the last four decades.” The museum is open on Saturdays, 10 AM to 4 PM. Private tours via appointment are available throughout the week. All FREE!

• An excellent exhibit opening I was at last Saturday at WALLWORKS NEW YORK in Mott Haven: “Yo Soy de Aquí / I am From Here.” It features artists Lizzy Alejandro, Alexis Marie Montoya, and Kamille Vargas-Estrella. It’s on through Dec. 6. I’ll have photos and more info on it next week.

• There are a few great exhibits at Wave Hill right now and there is more info on all of them right here. Admission is FREE on Thursdays. I wrote a bit about one of the exhibits, with photos, in a recent edition.

• An Beal Bocht, an artsy Irish pub in Riverdale has live music and other artsy events throughout the week.

• Here’s what’s going on at the brand new and beautiful Bronx Music Hall in the next couple of weeks.

• Also at Hostos, the BAE (Bronx Arts Ensemble) Orchestra with the Mambo Legends perform at Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture on Saturday, Nov. 9 from 7:30 to 8:30 PM. Tickets here.

• Connaughton’s Riverdale Steak House in Riverdale has live music including open mics every other Wednesday eve. You can get more up-to-date details on host and performer Mark Weitzman’s (also known as Mark the Harper) Facebook page.

---

Art Fellowships/Programs

• The Bronx Council on the Arts’ (BCA) Longwood Arts Project is seeking a Bronx-based Curatorial Fellow to assist with its 2025 series of exhibitions at the Longwood Art Gallery. The theme, "The World We Want to Live In," will explore how art can raise awareness and spark public discourse around social and political movements. The deadline to apply is Fri, Nov.15, 2024, at 11:59 PM. More details and the application can be found here.

• BCA is also looking for a Bronx-based youth journalist to write three articles on the Longwood Art Gallery exhibitions, artists, and related topics. This is a great opportunity for aspiring writers to gain experience in art journalism. The deadline to apply for this is also Fri., Nov. 15, 2024, at 11:59 PM. More details and the application can be found here.

Families/Kids

• BxArtsFactory in Melrose provides a useful series of video lessons on their website for families doing art at home. You can learn a lot more about the organization here.

• There are various kids’ art workshops at Bronx Children’s Museum, which opened just a little less than a year ago. Info here (scroll down page for listing). And here’s a link to all the “active” exhibit space and happenings.

• Blue Door Art Center in downtown Yonkers offers FREE classes/programs for kids on Saturday mornings.

---

A Bit Beyond the Bronx

• Just over the bridge from Bronx to Manhattan on Broadway are art happenings in Inwood organized by Inwood Art Works which supports ongoing creative happenings of all kinds. Check it all out here.

• Through Nov. 22, Within/Without is an exhibit at the Riverfront Art Gallery in the downtown Yonkers Public Library that explores visual storytelling and how what we create reflects deeper underlying personal narratives. FREE!

• In Pelham, very close to the Bronx border’s northeast section, there are many ongoing art exhibits and events at the Pelham Art Center. Check them all out here.

• At the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers there are several exhibits to explore, and it’s just a bit beyond north Riverdale.

---

I hope some of you can make it to my Nov. 14 exhibit mentioned above. (Here’s one more photo from it.) Have as great a weekend as possible! I’m pretty sure we all could benefit from some laughter and joy.

Photo by Jordan Moss

Peace, Shalom, Salaam (all that good stuff),

Jordan