New Novel by Native Bronxite, Photo and Art Exhibits, Student Art and Much More ...

I’ll begin with this great news …

Andrew Boryga at The Lit. Bar. (Photo provided by Boryga)

… Bronx native Andrew Boryga’s first novel, “Victim,” will be published by Doubleday on March 12, and he’ll be doing a reading at The Lit. Bar in Melrose on March 19. It’s already gotten incredible blurbs of support by renowned authors like Junot Diaz! I met Andrew when he was a high school student who took part in a youth journalism program at the Norwood News, where I was editor, back around 2009. Andrew — the most passionate, focused and interested teen in that class — and fellow students, reported for Bronx Youth Heard, a supplement to the Norwood News. He attended Cornell University and has written for The New York Times, The New Yorker and The Atlantic. You can pre-order the book here. And I hope to see some of you at his March 19 Lit. Bar reading!

And here are some exhibits being shown all around us (all FREE unless otherwise indicated):

• Longwood Art Gallery, run by the Bronx Council on the Arts at Hostos Community College, on the Grand Concourse and 149th St., has terrific free exhibits throughout the year. There’s one going on right now — “Against the Grain: The Stories We Tell Ourselves” — and there will be a closing reception on Feb. 21 from 6 to 8 p.m. I hope to be, and see you, there.

• In Riverdale, the current exhibit at Derfner Judaica Museum (based at the Hebrew Home) by Zhen Gho, ends this Sunday, Jan. 21, but they have a great on-line exhibit by Vincent Hloznik called “Dreams,” featuring a series of surrealistic linocuts. Many more on-line archives at Derfner here.

• The Bronx Documentary Center in Melrose has two exhibits coming up, both of which I consider a must see. “Through Our Eyes: Youth Photography at the Bronx Documentary Center” has an opening reception on Jan. 26 from 6 to 9 PM and is on through March 3. Here’s a photo from “Through Our Eyes.”

Photo by Reynaldo Olivera in exhibit “Through Our Eyes.”

And the other one is “Expose for the Shadows: The B&W Silver Gelatin Printing Workshop Exhibition.” As BDC explains: “Curated by students of acclaimed photographer and master printer Brian Young, this collection showcases the meticulous process and beauty of analog photography. Each piece represents the journey from capturing a perfect negative to creating a striking silver gelatin print.” It’s opening is tonight, Jan. 19, from 6 to 9 p.m. (I wish I had given you earlier notice!) and is on through Feb. 18. I can’t wait to check it out. Photo from that exhibit below …

Photo by Coco McPherson in exhibit “Expose for the Shadows.”

Art just a bit beyond us …

Since pictures above are all photography, I thought I’d provide another kind of art, even if it’s not, well, art right around us. The Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, CT (69 miles away from where I live in Kingsbridge Heights) is where I stopped to check out on the way home from dropping off my daughter at college in Worcester, MA. (Admission is always FREE.) An exhibit there blew me away. Yes, they have abstract art by people I dig and know a decent amount about, but even more by those whose work I’ve never heard of or witnessed. Here are just a coupe of examples. The second photo is a closeup of a portion of the first.

First piece is by Nigerian artist El Natsui: "Society Women's Cloth (Gold)" with bottle caps and scrap metal. Second photo is closeup of second piece. Third photo is "Mayflower," wood and mixed media by Marisol, a Venezuelan and American artist.

Youth Art in Norwood

Last month, Middle School students from the Bronx Community Charter School on Webster Avenue in Norwood created drypoint prints of local stores, and their exhibit was in the windows of Jerry’s Hardware on E. 204th St. Following are a few pix (and there are many more photos and a video here).

A couple of the pieces and a student participating.

I love when student artists connect with, and learn from, their communities. If you know of any other classes/programs that do stuff like this in the Bronx, please let me know!

Something to look forward to:

The Bronx Museum of the Arts is closed at the moment for installation of its next exhibit, The Sixth AIM (Arts in the Marketplace) Biennial, which has its opening on Jan. 26, but there’s still some big news to present here: The work on its new multi-story entrance and lobby on the corner is scheduled to begin this month (if it hasn’t already begun).

The Kingsbridge Armory

I’ll have more to say about the future Kingsbridge Armory on Kingsbridge Road — and its creative components — in future posts, but I’ll start with this article in The New York Times which focuses on the work and proposal of the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, which I’m very involved in. Feel free to email me if you want to get involved or learn more (jordanmossbx@gmail.com) and for some more history of the city’s failure Armory-wise over the last 30 years, click here for an article I wrote in 2022.

Final important note ..

My goal, beginning with this edition, is to send you this digital newsletter on a weekly basis. It is free to all! But to keep me going with this on a longtime consistent basis I need support from those of you that enjoy reading it. That means passing it on to your friends, colleagues, neighbors and pledging to be a paid supporter if you can afford it. Click a button below for either/both. Thank you!!!