immigrant history week exhibition

Many Hands, Many Places
Exhibit Extended through May 5th

The Artisans Initiative Showcases the Work of
Bronx Immigrant Artists at the Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos
April 16th – May 5th

The Artisans Initiative, a program of the Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA), presents Many Hands, Many Places, an exhibit of crafts and art celebrating the work of immigrant artisans who are living and creating in the Bronx. This Immigrant History Week event will be on view at the Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos, April 16th through May 5th with an opening reception on Monday, April 16th, from 5:30-6:30pm.

Immigrant cultures represented include Korean, Mexican, Haitian, Japanese, Puerto Rican, and Brazilian, West African, Honduran as well as diverse Caribbean and Diaspora cultures. The featured artisans, all members of BCA’s Artisans Initiative, will give hands-on demonstrations and workshops throughout the duration of the exhibit.

Artists include Karen Ahn (Korean knot tying), Brother Amin  (metal smith), Genise Amorim (clay sculpture), Nzinga Ashley (musical gourds), Arturo Carranza (found object art), Lisa Curran (metal quilt & beaded neckpiece), Diane Davis (dolls), Alizar Deas (metal sculpture), Ramani Edmondson (pottery), Ben Gonzales (paper engineering), Dennisse Gonzalez (quilt maker), Cheryl Lamb (Cherokee dream catcher), Yvonne Limon (weaver), Francine Marino (painted wood jewelry), Richard Martinez (garden sculpture), Lucrecia Novoa (mask maker), Elizabeth Ortiz (metal work mobiles), Luis Pagan (Orisha art), Ellen Pollan (pottery), Michelle Ramsey (mask maker), Gail Sharbaan (pottery), AJ SisterBlack (crochet), Ina Toure (mudcloth), Francisco Vallejo (hand-painted plates), and Rei Yao (pottery).

The goal of the exhibit is to showcase, introduce and acknowledge cultural craft that stems from immigrant craftspeople, as well as explore the innovations applied to traditional works, forming contemporary and original one-of-a-kind works, while educating the public about artisans and the crafts they create to encourage an awareness and appreciation for crafts. Folk and traditional arts are a strong cultural bridge to positive community identity.

The Artisans Initiative, a project of the Bronx Council on the Arts’ BCA Development Corporation, has a growing membership of motivated, culturally diverse artisans working in various traditional and contemporary craft forms. The program offers business services, training, professional development workshops as well as grant and loan opportunities to underrepresented artisans, living and working in the Bronx. For more information on the Artisans Initiative, contact Lisa Curran at 718-931-9500 x21, Lisa@bronxarts.org, or visit www.bronxarts.org.

The Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos is the contemporary art center of the Bronx Council on the Arts with the mission to support artists and their work, especially emerging artists from underrepresented groups. The gallery is located within Hostos Community College at 450 Grand Concourse at 149th Street and is easily accessible by the #2, #4, and #5 subway trains and the BX1 & BX19 buses. For gallery information, call 718-518-6728, e-mail Edwin@bronxarts.org, Juanita@bronxarts.org, or visit www.longwoodcyber.org/.

The Artisans Initiative is generously funded by The New York Community Trust, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Citigroup Foundation, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Assemblyman Luis M. Diaz, the NYC Department of Small Business Services, and the generous in-kind support of Hostos Center for Arts & Culture.

Immigrant History Week is a city-wide celebration that honors the experiences and contributions of immigrants in New York City.  Established by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2004 and coordinated by the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, Immigrant History Week is a rich collection of free or low-cost programs that build cross-cultural understanding between diverse New Yorkers.