Local Art That Brings Us Together
Creative Happenings in the Bronx and a Bit Beyond — 2.4.25
Hey Everyone,
It’s a scary time for our democracy, but that doesn’t mean we should not get together for exhibits, concerts, plays, and classes in addition to organizing, protesting and demanding our elected officials do the right thing. More than ever, we need to connect. Art accelerates movement of all kinds, and is a key ingredient of movements as well. So, let’s get at it …
ART EXHIBITS
Celebrating Black History Month, Blue Door Art Center in downtown Yonkers presents the group exhibit, “Ancestors,” curated by Dennis Shelton, on through March 1. FREE! More info here. And click here to see the works online (not the same as seeing it in person, but beautiful nonetheless). And here are a couple of photos I took at the opening.
Maybe you’d call this a nature exhibit, but it is artsy simultaneously (as I consider the great outdoors to be). “The Orchid Show: Mexican Modernism,” will be open at The New York Botanical Garden’s Haupt Conservatory (across from Fordham University in the northwest Bronx) from Feb. 15 to April 27. All the info here.
While there is a charge for the above for nonmembers, the outdoors of NYBG is always FREE for Bronx residents. Click here to learn more and register for a visit.
At Wave Hill’s Winter Workspace 2025, through March 2, several New York area artists research and develop work informed by the site, ecology and history of Wave Hill, including the work of Melinda Kiefer Santiago. “The work is relevant to Santiago’s overall work at Wave Hill, which will be incorporating locally sourced natural materials from the gardens into the work she is doing throughout the residency.” All the details here.
At Bronx Council on the Arts’ Longwood Art Gallery in Westchester Square the exhibit “Support Systems” “challenges dominant cultural narratives that celebrate American exceptionalism and capitalist individualism, featuring works from eight artists and one collective. The exhibition reflects on historical failures of the U.S. government, examines contemporary crises, and explores new possibilities for the future.” It’s on through Feb. 25. All the info here.
At the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers there are several exhibits to explore, including “Alvin C. Hollingsworth: And All That Jazz,” through April 27; “Clay Conversations: Ceramics for the Gilded to the Digital Age,” through March 9; and “Collection Spotlight: Cityscapes,” which is ongoing. All current exhibits listed here.
Through Feb. 15, the Bronx River Art Center (BRAC) presents “Between Inspiration and Collecting: The Artist’s Cabinet.” “This exhibition turns our attention to artists not only as creators but as collectors, revealing how their gathering of objects shapes their creative vision and practice.” More about the exhibit here. FREE!
BronxArtSpace presents “Drawn to Life,” an exhibit featuring artists Debbie Ali, Sakura Abdel-Rahman, Edwin "Enoch" Sanchez, and Ivan Velez Jr. It is curated by Ruddy Mejia and the exhibit continues through Feb. 8. “‘Drawn to Life’ brings together the works of four contemporary illustrators whose work is inspired by themes of tradition, fantasy, and physical relationships to one's body.” More info here. FREE!
Through March 28, the Riverfront Art Gallery (part of Yonkers Public Library) in downtown Yonkers presents the exhibit “EMPOWERED,” a group exhibit. “Art guides us to imagine new realities. It gives voice to the disappeared, the marginalized, and the unseen. EMPOWERED features artwork that guides us to imagine new realities and that allows us to be transported to worlds unknown and known. This exhibition calls out the many instances of injustice and leads the way to a more just and empowering future — one where we find community and see each other reflected in our world. Curated by Haifa Bint-Kadi.” All the info here. FREE!
“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. FREE!
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. 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!
PHOTOGRAPHY
Seis del Sur presents the group exhibition: “HISTORIAS: The Stories Behind the Images,” at the Museum of Bronx History in Norwood, including a discussion with the photographers in March (I’ll give you the date when it is set). The founding group of six added the first two women to the group and they are included in this exhibit). The museum is open on Saturdays, 10 AM to 4 PM. Private tours via appointment are available throughout the week. All FREE! It’s on through April 6. “It’s an interactive multimedia exhibition that explores the collective’s early documentary photographs of The Bronx as well as those of friends and colleagues,” explains the Bronx County Historical Society. Their images — many unseen and stretching back decades — reshape the borough’s narrative and personalize it with anecdotes about the images on display.”
Native Bronxite David González, the long-time New York Times reporter, columnist and photographer (and a member of Seis del Sur) has a great solo exhibit at Fordham University’s Manhattan campus: “Urban Devotions: Images of Faith in the City.” It runs through Feb. 17 at Fordham’s Lipani Gallery (113 W. 60th St.). All the info here. And there is also an Artist Talk there this Sunday, Feb. 9 from 3 to 4:30 PM. (And check out some of his excellent Times photos here.) FREE!
Bronx Documentary Center in Melrose presents the exhibit, “School Shooting in America.” The opening reception, curated by Michael Kamber and Cynthia Rivera, is this Fri., Feb. 7 from 6 to 9 PM and the exhibit is on through March 16. Featuring the moving works of Zackary Canepari, Tamir Kalifa, and Callaghan O’Hare, the show “is meant to highlight the facts around America’s firearms and profile some of the thousands of young people and families who have been affected by school shootings since the Columbine massacre in 1999.” FREE! (BDC’s website will be down for the next few weeks as a new one is being created.) Their address is 614 Courtlandt Ave., Bronx., just north of East 150th Street.
Through April 8, En Foco and Kreate Hub present the curated group photo exhibit “Entre el Silencio: Meditations on Silence” at WallWorks. “The exhibition is part of En Foco’s mission to uplift, validate, and preserve the culture and legacy of diasporic lens-based artists.” Click here for more information. FREE!
Speaking of WallWorks, through Feb. 15 it celebrates its 10 years in existence with a gallery retrospective at their new Inspiration Point location (!) in Hunts Point. More info here. FREE!
In partnership with Pregones, En Foco presents 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 and features portraits by Mexican photographer Yampolski (1925–2002), and is curated by Xavier Robles Armas. FREE!
The Derfner Judaica Museum in Riverdale, features the photo exhibit: “Leonard Nones: Portraits of Resilience” through March 30. “A professional fashion and advertising photographer for 50 years, Nones has created a series of portraits of his neighbors at RiverWalk, an independent living residence at RiverSpring Living on the campus of the Hebrew Home at Riverdale. Nones displays a lifetime of experience as a professional photographer in drawing out the vibrant expressions and animated spirit of his subjects.” (All the info here.) Here’s just one of his beautiful photos …
Photo by Leonard Nones (b. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1930), Icilda Mitchell, Portraits of Resilience, 2024. Inkjet print, 19 x 13 in.
ART/PHOTO EXHIBIT OPENINGS
The exhibit, “The Art of the Wrapping,” at Lehman College Art Gallery opens on Feb. 8 and its opening reception is on Wed., Feb. 19 from 5 to 8 PM. FREE! All the info here.
Upstream Gallery, in Hastings-on-Hudson, features an upcoming photo exhibit “Anaphora,” from Feb. 6 to Feb. 23, with an opening this Sunday, Feb. 9 from 2 to 5 PM.
THEATRE
I don’t want to miss this as I saw a similar show there last year and really loved it: “48 Hours in El Bronx,” presented by Pregones/PRTT Theatre in the South Bronx along with Harlem 9 on Feb. 23, features a “phenomenal roster of Latinx theater artists gather[ing] for an intensive theater-making marathon, creating six new short plays. This year’s plays will celebrate Bronx Healing through the poetry of NuYorican Poet’s Café’s executive director, Caridad De la Luz a.k.a. ‘La Bruja’.” There are two performances the same day, one at 6 PM and the other at 8:30 PM. All the info and tickets here.
AUDITIONS
On Thurs., Feb. 13 and and Sun., Feb. 16, Riverdale Children’s Theatre will hold auditions for two plays: “Cinderella,” for kids from third grade to eighth grade, and “Prince of Egypt,” for ninth through 12th graders. All the details right here.
MUSIC
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, including Suzanne Hockstein’s group, Seeing Voices, on Sat., Feb. 8 at 9 PM, featuring new Hockstein songs. And right before that at 7 PM is her art exhibit opening there. Open mics are always on Tuesday at 8:30 PM, and next week on Wed., Feb. 12 is the monthly Poor Mouth’s Writer’s Night, this time featuring Lynn McGee. Much more info on upcoming happenings here.
Merengue Con Amor 3 is back for its third annual concert to celebrate Valentine’s Day weekend on Sat., Feb. 15 at 8 PM at Lehman Center for the Performing Arts. Click here for tix and more info.
FILM
The year-old (yet still very, very new and exciting) Bronx Music Hall presents, on Sat., Feb. 8 at 6 PM, the 25th anniversary screening of “Cuban Roots Bronx Stories,” exploring AfrroLatinidad from a Black Cuban-American perspective by Norwood resident Pam Sporn. It was recently remastered in 4K. You can get the tickets here and see the intro here.
On Sat., Feb. 15, BAAD! (Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance) presents its FREE Queer Movie Marathon with three films running: “Of an Age,” at 11 AM; “Aristotle and Dante,” at 1 PM; and “The Feels,” at 3 PM. All the info here.
VALENTINE’S DAY
Van Cortlandt House Museum at Van Cortlandt Park in Riverdale hosts “Heartfelt History, Valentine Card-Making Workshop on Sat., Feb. 8 from 10 to 11:30 A.M. All ages from 5-up are welcome. “You'll learn how to make your own historic-style cards using classic techniques such as paper folding, cutouts, and paper “scrap” decoration. Discover the history of Valentine's Day through the ages and how this beloved tradition has evolved.” It’s $10 a person and tickets and more info here.
On Valentine’s Day, Fri., Feb. 14 at 7:30 PM, BAAD! (Bronx Academy for Arts & Dance), celebrates “love, community, and creativity at the opening night of the GTGB series! ‘Show Me Love’ kicks off with the unveiling of ‘Where Are Our Bronx Transgender People of Color Who Are Artists and Out,’ a stunning portrait exhibit honoring the BAAD! community. Enjoy funk disco vibes, free portraits taken by … photographer Alice O’Malley, a … performance by Barbra Herr, and an after-party under the disco ball.” Their film series on the same weekend is listed above in FILM.
EVENTS/WORKSHOPS/CLASSES FOR ADULTS & KIDS
If you’re a writer working on a novel or memoir, check out this FREE in-person novel-memoir writing workshop by Rob Jacklosky, an English professor at the University of Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale, who recently won a BRIO (Bronx Recognizes Its Own) Award from Bronx Council on the Arts for his fiction writing. The University and BCA are sponsoring the workshop with Jacklosky’s leadership. “Publishers routinely ask for the ‘first 5 pages’ of any prospective novel or memoir to accompany Query Letters, and this workshop will help revise or polish those first five pages!” Jacklosky explains. Interested writers must email 5 to 10 pages of their work (as a Word Document or PDF) to rob.jacklosky@umsv.edu by March 10. The two-day workshops are on March 25 and April from 1 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Two events celebrating Lunar New Year are coming up at Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture: one, which is FREE, for schools and daytime groups on Tues., Feb. 11 at 11 AM; and another for families and all, is on Sun., Feb. 16 at 3 PM. Tickets here for the latter.
BxArtsFactory in Melrose provides a useful series of video lessons on their website for families doing art at home.
There are various kids’ art workshops at Bronx Children’s Museum, which opened 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.
Bronx Council on the Arts has a great listing of organizations that provide various opportunities, grants and projects for artists of all kinds.
If you know of art happenings in the Bronx or a bit beyond that you don’t see mentioned here, email me at jordanmossbx@gmail.com.
And you can see my artwork and photography on IG and Threads @jordanmossbx. I also post fliers for art happenings on IG @artallaroundusbx.
I hope you get to enjoy some cool event(s) listed above. Have a great week and weekend.
Peace, Paz, Shalom, Salaam,
Jordan
P.S. If you’re looking for things you can do to help save our democracy, check out “What You Can Do,” a very helpful list by the famous progressive economist and former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich.