Now the group is having a fundraiser and has put out a call for artists and artwork for a fundraiser to be held at Gun Hill Brewing Co on April 17th-18th, 2015 with 40% of any sale going to the artist and 60% to benefit the BxArts Factory, a non-profit arts-based organization. It’s important to note that you can submit 2 dimensional art INCLUDING photographs as long as you follow the guidelines.
CALL FOR ART:
BxArts Factory invites you to participate in our first international small format art fundraising exhibition at the Gun Hill Brewery. Help us build an incredible exhibition of artworks by artists, designers, college students, youths, and YOU.
Each artwork must be 12×12 square inches (30 cm) or mounted to a 12”x12” board. All accepted entries will be exhibited at our fundraising event and available for sale to the public for $200 a piece (the unsold pieces will be available online after the show, at the same price). The distribution of earnings will be as follows: 40% of each artwork will be for the artist and the other 60% to benefit BxArts Factory. Each participant may enter up to 4 artworks in any medium (2D only).
Description:
12”x12” will include artworks made by international artists and artists in the United States. We want everyone, all ages and skill level to participate. The goal is to gather many pieces of original 12″x12″ works of art. Each person may enter up to 4 pieces. BxArts Factory reserves the right to reject any artwork. Our fundraising goal is to sell 350 to 450 artworks. All artworks will be displayed at our fundraising event on Saturday, April 18th and unsold pieces will be put up for sale at our online gallery after the event. The copyright belongs to the artist and remains as such, regardless of the buyer. It is important to include your contact information with your pieces (full name, phone number, email and website)
Guidelines:
All artworks have to be 12×12 square inches (30 cm) no more, no less and ready for installation. Pieces on canvas must be correctly stretched and pre-wired. Framed works have to be 12”x12”, including the frame and have to be wired. Unframed artworks have to be hard cardboard. The external dimensions of the piece should be exactly 12 square inches, including border and mat. Smaller pieces may be mounted to 12″x12″ board. Installation is based on a grid; artworks larger or smaller than 12″x12″ affect the efficiency of this method. Artists can submit a series of artworks. We cannot guarantee that the complete series will be installed together, or, in order, but we will try to install them in a horizontal row. We can NOT accommodate vertical sequencing. Each person may submit up to 4 artworks. If you want them in a certain order, please number the works left to right.
In order to show your work at our fundraising event, we must have your pieces no later than April 9th. All artworks will be installed on April 17th and taken down on April 19th. After the show, unsold artworks will remain in the possession of BxArts Factory and featured at our online gallery until sold.
Please mail your ready to hang art work and submission form to Alexis Mendoza at 1398 Grand Concourse, Apt 5E, Bronx NY 10456.
New York City FC’s David Villa, second from left, scores past New England Revolution goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth in the 19th minute. PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS
New York City’s FC held their first Major League Soccer match at Yankee Stadium yesterday — and won against Boston’s New England Revolution team. According to estimates, over 40,000 fans came out to this first historic day — something they will hopefully be doing for the next 3 years as soccer and baseball will share a home at Yankee Stadium.
Two years ago, Bronx residents, particularly those in the surrounding neighborhoods around Yankee Stadium, were caught off guard when a deal was announced that would have built a $400 million soccer stadium just south of Yankee Stadium at the defunct parking garages.
Community residents were up in arms at yet another sweetheart deal, a deal which would have given the NYCFC team over 30 years of rent free land (with the city losing over $150 million in rent) and tons of tax subsidies to pay for a stadium that could easily be built by the massive fortune of the teams two very wealthy owners: The New York Yankees who owns 20% stake in the team and the Abu Dhabi United Group which controls the remaining 80% (ADUG has an estimated worth of $500 BILLION yet tax payers were being told to foot the bill for a new stadium).
After a year of community organizing against another sweetheart deal, the franchise dumped The Bronx and began searching for another area in NYC to build a stadium, but why do that when you can house it all under one roof?
Now we know that the logistics of soccer and baseball are quite different where both require different types of fields but considering that MLS teams ONLY play 17 home games a year, I’m sure these very wealthy franchises and ADUG can come up with solutions to make this a viable option for years to come — all under one roof.
“Soccer is a very different sport from baseball. While outfield grass in a baseball park can support three outfielders running over it over the course of a 9-inning game, it would be much more difficult to maintain grass that has 22 players running over it in thick studs for a 90-minute soccer match. Under the reported plan, that outfield grass could be subjected to that treatment for 17 or more home soccer games each summer.
On top of this, for every soccer game, the infield dirt must be covered with grass. If the field reaches the mound, the mound must be flattened for every game. For a good soccer pitch, the grass would be consistent from the outfield onto the turf that was placed over the infield. None of this is easy to do.”
New York Yankees executive director of nonbaseball events, Mark Holtzmann spoke to this matter in a New York Times interview where he said:
“Technology has gotten to the point where I think we can turn it around pretty quickly,” Holtzman said.
“Baseball is clearly the No. 1 priority,” he added. “We wouldn’t do anything to put anyone at any risk; there’s a major investment here in the players. At the end of the day, we look at these opportunities very carefully, and we wouldn’t get into these opportunities unless we were confident in the end result.”
What’s the verdict, folks? What do you think? Should baseball and soccer play under one stadium if the tech is there to make it happen and not interfere with each other’s games? It sure would make great use of tax payer dollars that went into building the new Yankee Stadium into a TRUE multi-purpose venue without the negative impacts of building a separate soccer stadium in the community for only 17 home games.
No Longer Empty, the organization which transformed the Andrew Freedman Home 3 years ago into a major exhibition, is in search for volunteers for their latest project, this time at the Old Bronx Courthouse.
The exhibition, ‘When You Cut Into The Present, The Future Leaks Out’, will run from April 23rd through the end of July and feature many Bronx artists as well as artists from beyond our borders bringing what will be an amazing art-filled cultural adventure through what has been one of the most beautiful, yet enigmatic vacant structures in The Bronx.
The grand lobby of the landmark Old Bronx Courthouse
The Old Bronx Courthouse has captured the imagination of perhaps millions throughout the past 38 years that it has been vacant and dormant but now you have a chance, not only to attend the exhibition but to work directly with No Longer Empty and the artists as a volunteer and help this magnificent landmark come back to life.
Wouldn’t it be awesome to be able to be a part of history inside this building? I’ve had fun walking inside many times before and I’m sure you will too.
Please read the following from No Longer Empty and share widely with your friends, family, and networks for this wonderful opportunity. It is important to note that this is an UNPAID opportunity, but NLE can offer school credit if your institution accepts it:
NO LONGER EMPTY SEEKS EXHIBITION AND EVENT INTERNS AND VOLUNTEERS
No Longer Empty is looking for enthusiastic interns and volunteers to help with our upcoming exhibition at the Old Bronx Borough Courthouse, particularly individuals who are interested in helping with all facets of the event’s installation, programming, and gallery management.
The project is exciting—about 20 artists on three floors of an iconic neoclassical Bronx historical site. It’s a great opportunity to hone valuable skills while collaborating with respected artists, curators, and community figures.
Weekly work hours will vary and can be catered to your schedule, but intensify during installation (4/9-4/22) and de-installation (7/23-7/30).
We are looking for individuals who are interested in helping with any or all of the following:
general installation
technical installation (sound, media, lighting)
youth educational programing
event management
cultural events
visitor services
gallery sitting
press/marketing
NLE merchandise
We also welcome your suggestions for other services you wish to offer
Prior experience is not necessary; however, please include a description of any previous experience in your cover letter. At a minimum, all we ask is that you be amicable, punctual, and enthusiastic! Interested persons should send a CV and short cover letter of introduction specifying their interest to rita@nolongerempty.org.
Additional information about No Longer Empty can be found at www.nolongerempty.org. Please note that this is an unpaid opportunity; however, we can offer school credit if your institution will accept.
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Please note: In the interest of full disclosure, Welcome2TheBronx has officially partnered up with No Longer Empty in a media capacity and we couldn’t be more excited about this wonderful opportunity. More information regarding our partnership will be available as it develops!
Bronx Bartenders, do you have what it takes to mix a mean Bloody Mary and become the borough’s representative in April to win $1,000 Cash Prize? Contact info@nychotsauceexpo.com to enter or lisa@highriversauces.com for more information! Come out this Sunday to Charlie’s at 1PM!
On Sunday, March 15th at 1PM, Charlie’s Bar & Kitchen will be hosting the NYC Bloody Mary Mix-Down Contest qualifiers for Bronx (and Westchester) bartenders. The top finalist will head on to big championship and compete against all other NYC top finalists on April 26th for $1,000 cash prize, their recipe in the Stoli 2016 Recipe Book and a Bartender Kit!
If you’re a bartender, you still have time to sign up for this Sunday’s throw down at Charlie’s so feel free to contact Lisa Seabury for more details at lisa@highriversauces.com for more information!
Oh and yeah, yours truly will be judging on Sunday so hope to see you there!
Charlie’s is located at 112 Lincoln Avenue at the corner of Bruckner Boulevard in the Clocktower Building.
This past September, Bronx residents were among the front line of the People’s Climate March leading thousands on a miles long march route through midtown Manhattan.
Emails between FreshDirect lobbyist Harry Giannoulis of the Parkside Group and New York City Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development, Alicia Glen raises a number of questions including whether or not Mayor Bill de Blasio and his administration were pushed into ceasing any attempt to derail FreshDirect’s proposed move to The Bronx — a campaign promise de Blasio was quite vocal about.
FreshDirect Fears
Mayor de Blasio was so vocal, in fact, that on March 10th, 2014, Harry Giannoulis sounded the claxon calls of panic on behalf of FreshDirect when he wrote Glen:
“…The President and Founder [of FreshDirect] Jason Ackerman wants to sit with you to discuss where the city is at terms of his company and this project. He is actively out there lining up financing etc and feels quite nervous having major problems with City Hall trying to block its expansion. I think its a half our meeting where we could over the top line facts and hear from you and where you and the Mayor think this is all going to go.”
Giannoulis goes on to say that they, “regularly hear rumors that City Hall is reviewing documents to try and find a way to kill the deal. We have been told by elected officials that the Mayor has told them he wants to kill the deal as recently as two months ago. We believe that the administration really needs to hear from us, and hear our side and some facts, which has never happened.”
On November 18, 2014, News12 The Bronx conducted a poll which had almost 600 respondents (historical engagements of polls by News12 as researched by Welcome2TheBronx average roughy 150 participants) which to this day remains one of the most engaged polls ever. 64% of respondents overwhelmingly said NO they do not support FreshDirect’s move to The Bronx (372 votes) with 36% approving of the move (208 votes). It is important to note that News12 The Bronx reaches over 300,000 households in our borough.
Results of News12 Poll on November 18, 2014 — one of the highest engaged polls in the channel’s history as an online search of the news channel’s website.
The next day on March 11, 2014, Alicia Glen replies:
“Harry —understand this is a fraught issue Kyle [ Kimball, president of NYCEDC] is engaging with Jason[Ackerman] and I will get an update this week to see what next steps make sense.”
The de Blasio Administration Blows It & Sells Out
Now this is where it gets interesting:
Harry Giannoulis replies by saying, “Thanks and yes I appreciate the situation. There may be an opportunity to give the Mayor a victory regarding living wage, from which they are exempt. Let’s stay in touch” to which Glen replies and says, “If you can get that done, all will be good.” 6 months later, FreshDirect announces that their unionized employees would get a pay raise along with cheaper benefits. It is here where we can clearly see that back-channel negotiations are going on — whether de Blasio knows about it or not is up for debate but this does not let him off the hook for he’s ultimately responsible for his staff’s actions.
It is quite clear based on the emails and chain of events that the de Blasio administration chose to listen more closely to a lobbyist and corporations versus the citizens of The Bronx and in particular the South Bronx who overwhelmingly and consistently have been against this corporate welfare and dirty deal for 3 years now.
South Bronx residents along with South Bronx Unite told their story of their plight to thousands of attendees at the People’s Climate March.
A deal that is clearly an environmental disaster (including climate change concerns due to the site’s location in a flood zone) for the residents of the community and that The Guardian has dubbed a case of environmental racism allowing for the continuance of the ‘Tale of Two Cities’ which Mayor Bill de Blasio has campaigned and made a corner stone of his administration to change. A deal that the majority of the area’s elected officials are in strong opposition to (including Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, State Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo, Councilwoman Maria Del Carmen Arroyo, Congressman Jose E. Serrano, and State Senator Jose M. Serrano).
The community has demanded a new environmental impact statement (EIS) since FreshDirect is basing their move on a 22 year old EIS. The old EIS never took into consideration the fact that the neighborhood may become residential in nature and that it would be rezoned not once, not twice, but three times allowing for thousands of more residents to move in. Yet it seems clear that our progressive-end-the-tale-of-two-cities administration preferred to sell out the South Bronx at the first overture by FreshDirect’s lobbyist than to call for a new Environmental Impact Statement.
Instead, de Blasio has been a big let down and remained silent on the issue. Assuming their were no legal avenues to kill the deal on behalf of the residents who’s health and lives hinge upon if it continues to fruition, the very least he could have done was to provide the aforementioned testimonies.
FreshDirect is building on a Native American Burial Ground — one of the many questionable and unethical actions of the company.
It doesn’t end with the emails.
Once again FreshDirect finds itself in the middle of a lawsuit by its employees (we’re seriously losing count on the amount of lawsuits FreshDirect has found itself embroiled in from its employees).
“FreshDirect will be sued for punishing workers who stayed home during snowstorm.
The union representing more than 900 FreshDirect workers is planning to take legal action Monday to fight the company for firing and disciplining employees who were no-shows during a snowstorm.
The conflict traces back to a storm that pounded the city on Jan. 4, 2014.
At the time, Mayor de Blasio and Gov. Cuomo declared a state of emergency and said only essential service workers should be on the roads. At FreshDirect, workers were expected to show up despite the weather.
But many employees could not make it in. According to UFCW Local 2013, which represents the workers, 75 employees received written warnings, two were suspended and one was discharged because of their absences.”
How can de Blasio support this proposed move to the South Bronx and this company, one that continuously violates its workers rights? How can our Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr and our other Bronx elected officials sit back and say, “Hey, they’re providing us with much needed jobs” when this is the type of company that they are?
Mayor de Blasio has a lot of explaining to do to the thousands of residents of the South Bronx in the neighborhoods of Port Morris and Mott Haven who will be directly impacted by his neglect on the issue and the continuance of two cities in New York City: One where corporations continue to have all the power and the other where residents continue to strive for basic rights including an end to environmental racism and corporate welfare.
There’s still time for Mayor de Blasio to act lest he pushes away the very people who helped vote him into office based on his promises to end a tale of two cities and kill deals like FreshDirect. Did de Blasio know that these communications were occurring between Glen, Giannoulis, and Kyle?
The Mayor can end this deal and come out a true winner and a man of his word as well as keeping true to his administration’s mission to end this saga of a divided city.
There was even an engagement on Saturday for Orchid Evenings!
This past Saturday was the launch of what’s become a yearly tradition with The Orchid Show at The New York Botanical Garden — Orchid Evenings.
It was my mother’s birthday so what better way to celebrate it than surrounded by the elegance of The Orchid Show: Chandeliers in the enchanting and historic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory during the magic of the night?
My parents and I started the evening with an early dinner in nearby Little Italy (the REAL Little Italy on Arthur Avenue) with a scrumptious feast at Zerro Otto Nove.
As usual, the service was on point and the food was just perfect. It was my parents’ first time there and they were instantly hooked and will definitely be coming back for more.
Once we were done, we drove a mere 5 minutes to NYBG much to my mother’s surprise who had no idea the place was open in the evenings for such an event.
If you’ve ever been to the Botanical Garden, you already know that its beauty and splendor resonates throughout the year as the four seasons grace the grounds of this world renowned gem.
But we weren’t prepared for how stunning the place is at night. Stepping into the conservatory truly felt like walking into a crystal palace.
During Orchid Evenings, you get to mingle throughout a significant portion of the conservatory while enjoying music, a complimentary glass of wine or beer, and of course the visual and olfactory delights of the orchids on display.
We had only planned on staying for an hour or so but we were having such a good time that we ended up staying until closing time around 9pm.
While there, we ran into a few people we knew and had pleasant conversations with the staff who were extremely helpful and knowledgeable on pretty much any questions we had about everything we were taking in.
There was even a marriage proposal while we were there — and she said yes!
Oftentimes we think we have to leave the comfort of our borough to experience such an evening, forgetting about the beauty which exists right inside our own backyard and this is one of the many we have. Orchid Evenings is the perfect adult getaway right within the borders of The Bronx.
Saturdays, March 7, 14, 21, 28, and April 4, 11, 18;
Thursday, March 19 (LGBT Night); and Friday, April 17
6:30–9 p.m. (Conservatory entry times at 6:30, 7, & 7:30 p.m.)
Non-Member $35/Member $25 (Adults 21 and over) GET YOUR TICKETS Advance tickets recommended; includes one complimentary beer, wine, or cocktail of your choice.
When purchasing tickets you will need to select an entrance time for The Orchid Show in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. The Pine Tree Café and Shop in the Garden will be open to ticket purchasers between 6:30 and 9 p.m. with refreshments and live entertainment.
That is why on Sunday, March 15th, Tanya Fields, affectionately known as Mama Tanya, along with her organization, ‘The BLK Projek” will be hosting a ‘Brunch With Mama Tanya’ (I got my ticket, do you?!)
Fields tells us:
“Sunday, March 15th from 12 – 4pm join the BLK Projek for an afternoon of southern inspired culinary delights, performances, remembrance and unlimited mimosas at Brunch With Mama Tanya. Executive Director, Tanya Fields will guest chef a southern themed, buffet style Brunch to raise funds for The BLK Projek’s Libertad Urban Farm. The BLK Projek addresses food justice for marginalized women and youth by utilizing the “Good Food Movement” to create economic development opportunities for marginalized women and youth of color. Our programs include the South Bronx Mobile Market and Libertad Urban Farm. Next Sunday’s brunch will raise funds for our urban farm which has it’s first Spring workday Saturday, March 28th. So grab a ticket and nosh on bananas foster french toast, chicken & waffles, curry carrot salad and sweet cornbread with a spring compote and basil whipped cream. Eat great food for a great cause. http://www.theblkprojek.org/purchase-your-brunch-with-mama-tanya-tickets“
According to the event description, the event will be a locally sourced (where available), down home, southern style Sunday brunch guest chef’ed by Executive Director, Tanya Fields and hosted by BLK Projek member Imani Vidal. Join us, Sunday, March 15th from 12-4pm for a brunch prepared lovingly by “Mama Tanya” as if you were in her own little Bronx kitchen. If you are following her on Instagram then you have most likely drooled over her culinary delights and now she’ll share them with you. An afternoon of southern style culinary treats, performances, presentations and celebration, we will inform you of our progress thus far with the Libertad Urban Farm and share our vision for the future.
Tickets to Brunch with Mama Tanya start at $50 per person. While this is a fundraiser we would like to see a significant number of community residents in attendance so we are offering a limited number of “Pay as You Can” tickets to community members and we have special rates for group tickets. Please contact info (at) theblkprojek (dot) org or 718.635.0951 for more details.
Proceeds for this fundraiser will benefit our Libertad Urban Farm project. Our first Spring workday is March 28th. Can’t make the fundraiser? Consider donating to our crowdfunding campaign on Fundrazr.
Casita Maria is located at 928 Simpson St, Bx, NY 10459.
What a great way to start the day to find out that BronxMama and Welcome2TheBronx made BrickUnderground’s Best NYC Neighborhood Blogs for 2015! Here’s what they had to say about our respective blogs and don’t forget to check out the other 22 that made the cut!
Welcome2TheBronx
Sitting under a banner that reads, “You think you know the Bronx—but you don’t!”, Welcome2TheBronx serves up a never-ending feed of both aggregated and original news on local arts, news, food, and more. Keep scrolling until you know everything about the borough better known as the Boogie Down (and while you’re at it, check out their sister site, Welcome2Melrose).
For a specifically family-friendly take on all things uptown, BronxMama is a lifesaver, offering up links to local parenting resources, and plenty of event suggestions for anyone waking up on a Saturday morning with rambunctious kids and no set plans. They’ve even been known to throw events of their own, like a recent “paint and sip” workshop at a local beer garden.
Cynthia Lopez, NYC’s Film Commissioner, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. stand by as Baz Luhrmann addresses the attendees of the press conference.
Australian film director Baz Luhrmann came to The Bronx yesterday for a press conference at The Ghetto Film School in Port Morris along with Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr and New York City Film Commissioner Cynthia Lopez to discuss his latest project, ‘The Get Down’ heading to Netflix.
The focus of the press conference was to talk more about the television series, which has captured the attention of Bronxites all over the world who lived during the era of the 1970s which the series is set in. Baz Luhrmann said of ‘The Get Down’, “It is about a group of teenagers and it’s specifically about a very intense friendship with two guys and there’s a girl involved.”
He also added, “But at a certain point we cut between now (the present moment) and back in the day and their trajectory through life…they go on different roads. I think their aspiration, their creativity, their gesture to say is look, we’re in a very difficult time and a lot of people are using the word no hope but all they see is hope, all they see is possibility and their creativity goes on to change the world.”
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr (left) and Baz Luhrmann are interviewed by various media outlets including Welcome2TheBronx
Luhrmann discussed how series will be filmed on location here in The Bronx and throughout New York City as the story will follow a group of young adults from The South Bronx during the tumultuous ’70s.
He also talked about all the research he has done on The Bronx itself including its geography and went on to say that at one time when he found himself on The Grand Concourse, he was wondering why he felt like he was on the Champs-Élysées and then learned that our famed boulevard was designed AFTER that world-renowned Parisian boulevard.
As you may remember, many residents are optimistically cautious about the series with the hopes that our story is accurately as told as possible. Baz Luhrmann said that a number of the show’s writers are from The Bronx and lived here during the 1970s which gives us hope that the story will be true that era while showcasing the rich culture which blossomed despite the chaos that was going on around us.
Filming is scheduled to begin May 21, 2015 and continue through November 16, 2015 with a tentative date of August 2016 for the series to air on Netflix.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Planning have a rough road ahead with Bronx residents.
Last night, hundreds of residents from within the Jerome Avenue Study Area (estimates had the crowd at at least 400 attending despite the weather), gathered to join in solidarity against a rezoning that the community feels is not about them or with them. Residents and community groups are so concerned yet so organized they have even formed a group and an umbrella alliance of all stakeholders calling themselves ‘Bronx Coalition for a Community Vision’.
Watch the videos of the meeting below
Click to enlarge
The community became incensed when they first heard about the potential rezoning of their area which grew from a large, 57 block area to a massive 73 block study area straddling multiple neighborhoods. Many were furious at what seemed to be a re-branding of these neighborhoods under the ‘Cromwell-Jerome’ name and saw it as the creation of a new neighborhood.
Susanna Blankley, Director of Housing Organizing for New Settlement Apartments Community Action for Safe Apartments (CASA), said, “City planning said the neighborhood is not complete and we can clearly see that is not the case”
The event was hosted and organized by a diverse group of organizations such as CASA, Latino Pastoral Action Center (who provided the space to meet), Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, Mothers on The Move, The Urban Justice Center, Pratt Center for Community Development, VOCAL-NY, United Auto Merchants Association, and Faith in New York.
It also received the endorsements of Council Member Vanessa Gibson, State Assemblywoman Latoya Joiner (both in attendance), and also in attendance were Congressman Jose E. Serrano, New York City Public Advocate Letitia James, and State Assemblyman Victor Pichardo.
A clear signal to all: The Bronx belongs to its people.
Throughout the meeting, the various speakers educated residents on the proposed study and how rezonings and upzonings can displace residents. The many speakers talked about how the community has the power, as the true stakeholders of the community as residents, to make sure that whatever zoning happens in the area, comes from the people.
Speakers like Denise Felipe, a member of New York Community For Change, spoke about the major city-wide housing crisis we have. She spoke about how she was pushed out from her home in the Lower East Side where she was born and eventually moved to Brooklyn where she is fighting the same battle again as gentrification continues pushing residents out.
“Nothing can take without community participation,” said Felipe. “We need all of you guys to stick together and come out…we want to make sure that our city planning, community board members, and elected officials not only do new rezonings but they keep us included…we need REAL affordable housing…we need local hires…” she continued to add.
Members from CASA performed a skit which lightheartedly talked about how rezoning works, developers attempting to influence City Planning and what residents can do to empower themselves.
Many residents carried posters with strong messages.
Children even got up on stage and spoke about what they love about their neighborhood and what they envision their neighborhood to be.
After witnessing the amount of people in the crowd, the diversity, the energy, it is clear that anything that happens within the Jerome Study Area will be community led and driven and the community will not allow itself to be steamrolled as previous administrations have done throughout the city.
This community gathering was very reminiscent of We Stay/Nos Quedamos, which was founded in 1992 when residents of the Melrose neighborhood section of The Bronx caught wind of an urban renewal plan and rezonings that were to take place which would have displaced thousands of residents, demolished what buildings were left and create a housing that no one in the neighborhood could afford — all without community input.
Thanks to the late Yolanda Garcia and founder of Nos Quedamos, the residents of Melrose were able to take control of their destiny and neighborhood and make sure that their visions of what the neighborhood could look like—should look like—did.
City planning, Community Boards 4 and 5 will have their first official community meeting Saturday March 14th at The Bronx Museum of the Arts in the Lower Gallery from 10AM – 1PM, followed by another one on Thursday, March 19th at the Davidson Community Center located at 2038 Davidson Avenue from 7PM – 9PM, and a Spanish language meeting on March 26th also at the Davidson Community Center from 7PM – 9PM.
Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson Speaks with Congressman Jose E Serrano as State Assemblyman Pichardo and New York City Public Advocate Letitia James look on.Union workers rally around Public Advocate Letitia JamesThe chant and mantra for the eveningUnion workers fighting for fair development.Demands for real community engagement was the central theme of the event last night.Hundreds packed the room showing a clear interest of the residents to shape their own community.
Tomorrow, Friday, March 6 from 5:30PM – 9:30PM, you’ll get TWO art openings under one roof as the BxArts Factory launches their first exhibition called ‘Innuendos: The Voices of 10 Bronxite Women‘, and the Andrew Freedman Home Artists in Residence II Annual Art Exhibition featuring 15 artists and their works.
Information on Innuendos is as follows:
An Art Exhibition: Innuendos
Definition:
in•nu•en•do noun \ˌin-yə-ˈwen-(ˌ)dō, -yü-ˈen-\
a statement which indirectly suggests that someone has done something immoral, improper, etc.
an oblique allusion : hint, insinuation; especially: a veiled or equivocal reflection on character or reputation
This collection of works by ten women artists from The Bronx seeks to connect you to the female form. We wish to celebrate women, body and spirit, through metaphors intended to destroy the stigmatism of women’s bodies and to reflect the elegance of the female form through its closeness to the universe.
Innuendos, is a forum for artists and members of the community to discuss the problems women face in this new age, including how our accomplishments continue to be ignored by many members of our society. The works explore and bring light to how the bodies and spirits of women have been affected or negatively influenced by constant sexualization, commercialization and enslavement. The presentation of these conceptual works is also meant to illustrate the different societal elements that have shaped ideas of the female form in an attempt to incarcerate women’s freedoms and power in a patriarchal society.
The art exhibition will take place just in time for Women’s History Month and is defined by a multimedia collection of works that reflect a variety of styles and representations of women. The show is co-curated by Yelaine Rodriguez and Yolanda L. Rodriguez and produced in part by BxArts Factory
Invited artists: Laura Alvarez , Laura N James, Ijeoma D. Iheanacho, Elena Bouza, Sharon Lee De La Cruz, Yelaine Rodriguez, Melan Dolly, Melissa Calderón, Abigail DeVille and Yarisa Colon Espacio Asiray)
Amazing Music by DJ: Cat Fasanella
The show will include Additional Programming:
March 18th: La Pluma y La Tinta: La Pluma: New Voices in the Boroughs: The Bronx, 7:00 – 9:00pm Get Tickets Here: http://nvbronx.eventbrite.com/
March 20th: Video/Photo Presentation and Panel: reImagine project by Ijeoma D. Iheanacho, 6:30 – 9:00pm
April 1st: Closing Reception with Artists Talk and Performances 6:30
