2019 Community Engagement Grants

2019 Community Engagement Grants
The Bronx Times, April 21, 2019

The Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA) is proud to award 82 grants totaling over $300,000 through our Community Engagement Grants program.

Reflective of the diverse communities that make up our borough, funded projects speak to BCA’s commitment to the arts and social justice in Bronx.

The 2019 awardees follow:

Ahmed Tijay Mohammed: UBUNTU: I AM BECAUSE WE ARE Ubuntu, meaning humanity towards others, serves as the cornerstone for Tijay’s project. It focuses attention on seniors’ connection to migration, social justice, and social lives. Using African wax fabric and other assorted materials, participants will create mixed-media portraits that will be exhibited at senior centers together with stories shared.

Aida Miró: MURAL TRIBUTE TO WOMEN AND DIVERSITY will involve leading a mural tribute to women, painted by a 3 artist collaboration (Aida Miró, Jerom, and Twoflu) and teaching a workshop. The paintings will be 3 large portraits of women of Bronx, representing the diversity of age and ethnicity of the neighborhood. The workshop is open for all ages and will conclude with a collaborative mural.

Amanda Cardona: Boogaloo in the Bronx! Come on down & Boogaloo… in the Bronx! Take in a screening of the documentary “We Like It Like That”, get your dance on with a Boogaloo lesson as you shimmy with Amanda Cardona and jam to the infectious beats & rhythms of the Latin Boogaloo Revival Band, Spanglish Fly!

Amy Starecheski: Mott Haven Soundwalks Collaborating with long-time neighbors, we create participatory, immersive soundwalks through Mott Haven. In each walk two residents listen together to an edited oral history sound piece as they walk through and listen to the neighborhood, exploring gaps and connections between neighbors and between past and present in this changing place.

Armando Pacheco: Teaching Puerto Ricans and Latinos the Culture of Puerto Rico through Poetry and Music. This project will provide Puerto Rican and Latino youngsters, adults and seniors a total of 10 workshops on how to write poems and songs in Spanish. The songs and poems that the participants will write will be in the genres of Bomba, Plena and Música Típica (Countryside Music).

Art Defined ProductionsInc.: Poetic Affair seeks to draw in artists and art lovers from the community. We produce this showcase to encourage involvement and exposure to the arts. During these events, seasoned poets are scheduled to perform their work and a platform is created for emerging poets to perform in the “open mic” portion.

BAFA Inc Bangladesh Academy of Fine Arts: The Pohela Boishakh Festival is the perfect cocktail of education & entertainment. It is a pleasure to host a full day of events emulating the cultural festivities of Bangladesh: an afternoon parade, live music, dance performances, singing performances, poetry recitations, traditional art work installations, a book fair & street vendors!

Barbara Purdy: A Concert Series For Seniors will present Barbara Purdy & her Cabaret Experience Jazz Combo in eight weekday afternoon free concerts at Bronx senior centers. The Combo performs various styles and forms of music sung in English, Spanish, Italian, & Patois. The Combo consists of four instrumentalists and one vocalist.

Bardekova Ensemble: Bardekova Ensemble Concerts Bardekova Ensemble plans to bring 400 years of classical woodwind quintet music to all age groups and socioeconomic levels. New arrangements will also be added to our repertoire.

Ben Zucker: Fishermen of the North East Bronx is a series of photographic portraits by Ben Zucker. This work documents the fishermen on the shorelines of its namesake. Zucker offers an intimate view of an ancient pastime as it is carried out by modern day Bronxites.

Blanka Amezkua: AAA3A is an artist-run project in the South Bronx. It encourages the participants to use this exchange as an asset for their continued growth. Artist and presenters eligibility is based on the quality of the work and/or their commitment to the local community South Bronx.

Brainpower Research and Development ServicesInc.: the Superhero Project People love comics. We love making comics with homeless young artists. Young people experiencing trauma and disruption find opportunities: artistic, social, technical, economic. Students discover skills and inclinations for 5 comic book jobs: writer, penciler, inker, colorer, letterer; and for product making, communications, logistics, finance.

The Bronx Concert SingersInc.: Bronx Concert Singers 38th Season BCS, professional singers and instrumentalists rehearse & perform two concerts. Spring’s ‘SINGS MY SOUL’ sizzles with Ray’s Gospel Mass, songs from Ellington’s Sacred Service and spirituals. Holiday’s program runs from Tormé’s Christmas Song and Shaw’s Jamaican Noel to selections from Bach’s ‘Christmas Oratorio’ and Cantata 191’s Gloria in Excelsis Deo.

Bronx County Chorus: Spring and Winter Concerts 2019 This project includes the Annual Spring and Winter concerts in 2019. The performances will occur in May and December at The First Lutheran Church at Throgs Neck in Bronx.

Bronx Hispanic FestivalInc.: The NY Latin American Art Triennial The event, sponsored by the B H F Inc. will organize several art exhibitions during September/December 2019. Every 3 years BHF will produce a group of art shows known as the NYLA Triennial. Selection is by invitation and an open call. Artists apply online.

Bronx Intergenerational Theatre EnsembleInc.: 1. The Neighbors 2. Women Who’ve Made a Difference “The Neighbors” is a dark comedy about a group of 8 people of varying ages and backgrounds who live on the second floor of the same tenement building 2949 Bartow Ave. “Women Who’ve Made a Difference” focuses on women who have shaped, not only a nation but the world.”

Bruce Zeines: Revision the Kelly Street Garden mural Kelly Street Garden and its residents will be revising the mural located at the end of the garden. The mural was left unfinished in 2014 by a commissioned muralist and was completed by an inexperienced resident, who is one of the main drivers in this new effort.

Classica lCafé: A Musical Offering, 2019 presents a concert of exquisite music from eras gone by, with the spoken word of the present day. Three singers, an actor, and six instrumentalists present a program of two composers that will lift spirits and stir hearts from all demographics and at no cost.

Di.vi.sion Arts and Education, Inc.: di.vi.sion concerts: classical music series di.vi.sion concerts is a series of four professional classical music concerts in Bronx. Celebrating six years of presenting programs with traditional classical repertoire and new music written by living composers, these concerts are presented at the historic Riverdale Presbyterian Church and the Riverdale-Yonkers Society for Ethical Culture.

Elissa Carmona: Natural Woman: A Celebration of Aretha Franklin Vocalist, Elissa Carmona will debut “Natural Woman”, a five-concert tour in spring 2019 that celebrates the life and music of iconic rhythm and blues singer, Aretha Franklin. Elissa’s vocals will be joined by a keyboard player, bassist, guitarist, and drummer.

Emmitt Thrower: Silent Sellers Emmit Thrower will be creating an interactive short film documentary and photo exhibit exploring the connection between Bronx community street vendors and the community they serve. Who are they? What needs do they serve? How do they help shape the community they serve?

Full Circle ProdInc.: Hip hop meets House Vol 2 This dance centered gathering will celebrate the similarities & differences of Hip hop and House- two NYC dance genres that enjoy mainstream notoriety yet exist in separate lanes. Film clips, DJ mixes, performances and testimonials by select dancers will help to bridge the gap and create a sense of unity.

Gina Clark: Personal Jewels: A Multidimensional, Experience-Collage Mural This will be a highly personalized, original mural, designed and created by seniors during a series of workshops at the senior center that has committed to being my Community Partner, and ultimately presented as an unveiling at a public event.

Hilda Rivera-Pantojas: Puerto Rican Folklore Dance and Costuming will engage local artists and the Bronx communityat-large in highlighting the costuming and Puerto Rican folklore through a variety of channels. These include an interactive exhibit, a short-term exhibit with still images and written information, and the creation of a digital video.

Hot Cabinet: Hot Cabinet Presents Cosmic Freedom is a two-day collaborative workshop and show at the Bronx Social Center. After facilitating a mobile filmmaking workshop, an event will be curated, screening works from the workshop and works from Bronx video artists/filmmakers, as well as an open mic performance for Bronx writers.

I’RAISE Girls & Boys International Corporation: I’RAISE Dance Academy offers free high quality dance classes to young people in low-income neighborhoods. Young people with demonstrated passion and commitment to dance are welcome to join and register for the academy. The teaching staff are highly experienced and committed to providing exceptional art learning to young people.

Ivan Velez Jr.: COMIC CULTURE: DYNAMIC BRONX! teaches cultural awareness, tolerance, and critical thinking. Cartooning, graphic software and writing skill-sets are built into the programs and feature instruction from local and international industry professionals. This program will explore the fabulous diversity of our Bronx stories and myths in workshops and events for children, teens, and adults.

Jenni Knight: Drawing: A Public Gathering This is a public gathering which explores the possibilities of drawing as a group. Exercises will be worked on that trick the normal brain to hand relationship and open up the mind. Visualization exercises are done where participants will create symbols of personal meaning and identification to define their own psychology.

Jonathan Lessuck: Artists After Maria is an exhibition of photography and narrative writing presenting the effects of Hurricane Maria on the lives of artists in Puerto Rico and their ability to continue to create their work.

Jose Ortiz aka DrDrum: The Bronx – Loiza Community Festival will engage community members in celebrating AfroPuerto Rican cultural traditions. Five main activities encompass this project: children’s class on Afro-Puerto Rican culture, Bomba community class, community mask making, a traditional procession and culminates with a bomba celebration.

Mass Transit Street Theater: The Solid Ground Project includes: “Solid Ground: A Play about Landing on your Feet” for teens and young adults, “Power Myths” for K-5th Grade students, “”Difficult Conversations: On Race, Gender and Power””, for college age and up, “Intergenerational Storytelling” for senior citizens.

MazArte Dance Company: MazArte & Folclor is a Mexican Folkloric dance program where children ages 6-11 and teens ages 12-17 learn about the fascinating culture and traditions of Mexico. Students will learn dance foot-work, what goes into the intricacy of dance costumes through prop and mask-making workshops, as part of the dance curriculum.

Michele Brody: The Bronx CommuniTea Hat Fund is a social “happening.” This event focuses on the building of community relationships and bridging cultural boundaries through the contemplative art of sharing tea with Older Bronx Citizens in collaboration with a diverse group of artists at The Bronx Museum of the Arts.

Millennium Dance Company: Millennium Dance Company 25th Anniversary Recital Since 1994, in June of every year, all the students of Millennium Dance Company (MDC) have the opportunity to share on stage what the school provides on a yearly basis. This year MDC will celebrate 25 years and current and alumni students will participate in the 25th Anniversary recital.

Nioka Workman: tHe GEM. iN. I features a dancer and three instrumentalists, playing R&B, reggae, gospel, experimental music and spoken word with a range of inspirations from artists such as Tupac Shakur, to Buddhist chants, to Dr. Benjamin E. Mays. This work sheds new light on the self-image while digging deep in reclaiming embodied language.

Patrice Payne: Act with Art Act with Art is an enriching art program that will encourage youth to use various visual-art forms to explore ways to promote self-awareness and creative expression. This program will foster a supportive environment for youth to work in and reinforce their efforts to realize their full potential.

Paula Ralph Birkett: See Yourself / Be Yourself: A Journey to Self-Awareness Some view Bronx as the neglected borough. Yet it has produced a Supreme Court Justice, award-winning entertainers, and recently a young politician changing Congress. What made these women succeed? Take a ride through dramatic “aha” moments to find, how you see yourself is how you will be yourself.

Pedro Martinez: A Tribute to My Ancestors This project will consist of 2 musical performances. One performance will be for the Divine Light Church while the second will be at the Bronx Museum. The intention is to expose this type of music to audiences that normally would not have the opportunity to listen to this type of music.

Peggy Robles Alvarado: “More Than Just…” presented by Robleswrites Productions “If only I were (_______) I’d be beautiful!” This is the unsettling thought of many women of color struggling with misconceptions of beauty. “More Than Just…” presented by Robleswrites Productions, celebrates the perceived flaws of intergenerational women through ritual healing, original works of poetry, storytelling prose, photography, and experimental film.

Project X Artist Collective: Project X Bronx Poetry and Art Festival Project X has had the privilege of creating & building with the community of Mott Haven for the past two seasons. Now entering its third season, Project X commits to closing out its monthly slam series with the creation of the first Bronx Poetry & Arts Festival in August 2019.

Raices Cultural Arts AssociationLtd.: El Son Y Su Esencia Raíces Cultural Arts Association presents “El Son Y Su Esencia.” In this interactive cultural presentation, dancers, musicians, historians, and the public together will explore the origins and subsequent influence of the Cuban genre of music known as “Son” on today’s pop culture music and dance.

Roland Guerrero: The Garinagu Percussion Project This project will be a musical presentation by an American/Garifuna musical director in collaboration with prominent jazz artists and Honduran, Belizian, and Guatemalan Garifuna artists. It will be an enhancement of the original project that was sponsored by BCA on November 19, 2017, which will include a dance component.

Rosemarie Fiore: Engineering Drawing Tools from Nature With the project “Engineering Drawing Tools from Nature”, Rosemarie Fiore will partner with Wave Hill to combine engineering, art, and science in a three-session workshop series aimed at creating hand-held drawing tools from found natural debris. The workshop will finish with a performance/ presentation of the participants’ work at Wave Hill.

Ruth Marshall: Art in the Air Presents Poetry in the Air is a community art program that creates temporary site-specific art installations for the outdoor courtyard of Parkchester Public Library. For 2019 local Bronx artists Ruth Marshall and Orlando Ferrand will collaborate for ‘Art in the Air Presents Poetry in the Air’, a display of literary explorations.

Seyi Adebanjo: Queer Eyes Queer Spirits is an opportunity to share stories on how spirituality makes us stronger. How people use indigenous Yorùbá Spirituality as healthcare, as a community of practice, of healing, wellness, safety & affirmation of our Divine right to love ourselves, one another as Queer, Transgender Gender Non-Conforming People

South Bronx Independent Artists Coalition: South Bronx Open Studio Tour South Bronx Artists will open their studios to the public for one afternoon. Artists will be present to meet their neighbors, display and discuss their work, and strengthen the local community through sharing their artistic practices. They will curate a corresponding exhibit showcasing our artist’s work.

Vanna Valdez: Molding Our Community is an initiative by and for the Bronx Community that engages multi-generations in an open air ceramic workshop.

Community Arts

Amanda Cardona: Boogaloo in the Bronx! Come on down & Boogaloo… in the Bronx! Take in a screening of the documentary “We Like It Like That”, get your dance on with a Boogaloo lesson as you shimmy with Amanda Cardona and jam to the infectious beats & rhythms of the Latin Boogaloo Revival Band, Spanglish Fly!

Art Defined ProductionsInc.: Poetic Affair seeks to draw in artists and art lovers from the community. We produce this showcase to encourage involvement and exposure to the arts. During these events, seasoned poets are scheduled to perform their work and a platform is created for emerging poets to perform in the “open mic” portion.

BAFA Inc Bangladesh Academy of Fine Arts: The Pohela Boishakh Festival is the perfect cocktail of education & entertainment. It is a pleasure to host a full day of events emulating the cultural festivities of Bangladesh: an afternoon parade, live music, dance performances, singing performances, poetry recitations, traditional art work installations, a book fair & street vendors!

Barbara Purdy: A Concert Series For Seniors will present Barbara Purdy & her Cabaret Experience Jazz Combo in eight weekday afternoon free concerts at Bronx senior centers. The Combo performs various styles and forms of music sung in English, Spanish, Italian, & Patois. The Combo consists of four instrumentalists and one vocalist.

Bombazo Dance CoInc.: Bombazo FREE Drum & Dance Classes Free dance and drum community classes in Bronx in Afro Puerto Rican Bomba for children and adults.

Brainpower Research and Development ServicesInc.: the Superhero Project People love comics. We love making comics with homeless young artists. Young people experiencing trauma and disruption find opportunities: artistic, social, technical, economic. Students discover skills and inclinations for 5 comic book jobs: writer, penciler, inker, colorer, letterer; and for product making, communications, logistics, finance.

The Bronx Concert SingersInc.: Bronx Concert Singers 38th Season Professional singers and instrumentalists rehearse & perform two concerts. Spring’s ‘SINGS MY SOUL’ sizzles with Ray’s Gospel Mass, songs from Ellington’s Sacred Service and spirituals. Holiday’s program runs from Tormé’s Christmas Song and Shaw’s Jamaican Noel to selections from Bach’s ‘Christmas Oratorio’ and Cantata 191’s Gloria in Excelsis Deo.

Bronx County Chorus: Spring and Winter Concerts 2019 This project includes the Annual Spring and Winter concerts in 2019. The performances will occur in May and December at The First Lutheran Church at Throgs Neck in Bronx.

Bronx Intergenerational Theatre EnsembleInc.: 1. The Neighbors 2. Women Who’ve Made a Difference “The Neighbors” is a dark comedy about a group of 8 people of varying ages and backgrounds who live on the second floor of the same tenement building 2949 Bartow Avenue. “Women Who’ve Made a Difference” focuses on women who have shaped, not only a nation but the world.”

BronxWorksInc.: The Gathering Members of BronxWorks senior centers will create three plays around the theme of “gathering.” Jurukan Productions will act as a guide for the seniors, who will be the driving force of this project. Seniors will create the concept; develop the script; put together the costumes, props, and set; and perform.

Carolyn Harrison: Precious Metals: #IamEnough Storytelling Workshop, an 8-week project to inspire, equip, and train young women to write and perform aspects of their own life narratives. Through these series of workshops, participants will discover the power to rise above oppressive life circumstances and gender biases that often impede progress for women.

Diversity in Arts and Nations for Cultural EducationInc. (DANCE): Children and Teens DANCE Project DANCE artists will provide immersive and participatory dance classes accompanied, at times, by live music to 50 participants between the ages 7 to 16. Weekly classes will progress through increasing difficult combinations that lead to fully-realized dances, which participants will perform at various community events between February and December 2019.

Duane Bailey-Castro: Connecting People, Strengthening Communities: The Harlem River Bridges There are over 2,000 bridges across New York City but how many of us know the ones right in our backyard that we depend upon. This installation focuses on the fifteen bridges that connect and are vital to the people and communities in Bronx and Manhattan.

Eva Lopez: Act4Change Violence Prevention Project Act4Change projects equip and engage youth, adults, and seniors in meaningful dialogue on social justice issues. We use participatory theater performances to problem solve the concerns of Bronx neighborhoods. Our mission is to drive individual and community potential using theater as a vehicle for social change.

Friends of Pelham Bay Park: The Bronx Native American Festival, our 11th Annual, will feature singers, dancers, musicians, and storytellers from cultures throughout the Americas. These experienced performance artists, through dance, song, and story-telling, will celebrate the harvest, the season, and teach about the spirit and culture of Native traditions.

Hope of Israel Senior Citizens CenterInc.: Poetry Workshop Series The workshop will provide older adults with the opportunity to study a wide variety of traditional and contemporary poetry with the goal of developing their skills as readers and creators of poetry. Anyone from the community who is 60 years of age or older is eligible to enroll.

Ivan Velez Jr.: MR PAPO PRESENTS takes popular art-forms, i.e. cartooning and manga to teach cultural awareness, and enable dynamic art infused with meaning. Important art skill-sets are built into programs and art events that feature exposure to industry professionals, and artists. This year’s focus is on the fabulous diversity of Bronx culture.

Kingsbridge Heights Community Center: KHCC Poetry and Music Enhancement Through KHCC’s Poetry and Music Enhancement program, community artists provide disadvantaged youth, grades 6-12, with opportunities to explore the arts through poetry workshops for typically developing youth in our Teen Center, and music therapy and dance/movement programming for youth with autism or Down Syndrome in our Special Needs Respite program.

Mass Transit Street Theater: The Solid Ground Project includes: “Solid Ground: A Play about Landing on your Feet”” for teens and young adults, “”Power Myths”” for K-5th Grade students,”” Difficult Conversations :on Race, Gender and Power””, for college age and up, and “”Intergenerational Storytelling”” for senior citizens.”

MazArte Dance Company: MazArte Para El Bronx – “More art for the Bronx” is MazArte’s showcase across the borough of its vibrant, energetic, and engaging repertoire of Mexican Folk Dance. Audiences will enjoy the show and get to be part of it as they dance & learn Mexico’s rich cultural dance traditions and story.

Mekong NYC: Mekong Arts and Music project will bring Southeast Asian arts and cultural to Bronx. Millennium Dance Company: Millennium Dance Company 25th Anniversary Recital Since 1994, in June of every year, all the students of Millennium Dance Company (MDC) have the opportunity to share on stage what the school provides on a yearly basis. This year MDC will celebrate 25 years and current and alumni students will participate in the 25th Anniversary recital.

New Settlement: Project VIP (Voice, Identity, Power) & Next Level Dancers PROJECT V.I.P. combines acting training with the development of original creative work based on themes encountered in literature and life. NEXT LEVEL DANCERS trains young dancers in Hip-Hop through rigorous conditioning, team-building, and dynamic choreography. Both programs help participants build confidence, express themselves and become advocates for girls and women.

One World Arts: Community Dance Workshops – Mambo Community Dance Workshops – Mambo – Open to All Ages! One World Arts invite City Island residents to come join the fun of learning to dance, play an instrument, or choreograph a Mambo dance production. Twice a week for 8 weeks aiming to recreate the joy of community unity through cultural exchange.

Oxil Febles: Paso Negro: Neo Afro Diasporic Festival 2019 is a multidisciplinary artistic project designed to impact the community of Mott Haven by offering performances and cultural dance workshops where participants can learn about Afro Diasporic groups that reside in NYC, come together united in one voice and share their roots and history.

Pepatian: Bronx Artist Spotlight 2019 Pepatian’s Bronx Artist Spotlight 2019 features four projects (Hip-Hop Academy, Dance Your Future residency, Bronx Artists Now APAP Showcase, and The Empowerment Collective) to support Bronxbased artists and audiences through intensive partnerships with local non-profit and arts venues and in collaborations with lead artists (see bios attached).

Poets Network & ExchangeInc.: The Bronx Book Fair, in partnership with the New York Public Library, is the premiere Bronx literary event. The Bronx Book Fair, run by Poets Network & Exchange, Inc., engages the community with programs that seek to grow the literary landscape, broaden access to Bronx literary artists, increase library usage, and encourage a love of books and reading.

Roland Guerrero: The Garinagu Percussion Project This project will be a musical presentation by an American/Garifuna musical director in collaboration with prominent jazz artists and Honduran, Belizian, and Guatemalan Garifuna artists. It will be an enhancement of the original project that was sponsored by BCA on November 19, 2017, which will include a dance component.

Ruth Marshall: Art in the Air Presents Poetry in the Air is a community art program that creates temporary site-specific art installations for the outdoor courtyard of Parkchester Public Library. For 2019 local Bronx artists Ruth Marshall and Orlando Ferrand will collaborate for “Art in the Air Presents Poetry in the Air”, a display of literary explorations.

WE STAY/Nos QuedamosInc.: “We Are Melrose” / “Melrose Holiday Parranda” “We Are Melrose” is a diverse, outdoor community folk art, performance celebration. “Melrose Holiday Parranda” is an age-old, musically-based Puerto Rican tradition that takes place during the holidays – akin to Caroling sessions – where regional cultural spaces are visited/patronized. Scheduled for July 20, 2019, and December 21, 2019, respectively.

Woodlawn ConservancyInc.: Jazz Appreciation Month at Woodlawn In April, (Jazz Appreciation Month) the Woodlawn Conservancy will host a series of Trolley Tours for student and adult groups culminating with a Happy Birthday Duke concert to celebrate the legacy of the Jazz Greats memorialized at Woodlawn, a National Historic Landmark.

Ahmed Tijay Mohammed: UBUNTU: I Am Because We Are Ubuntu, meaning humanity towards others, serves as the cornerstone for Tijay’s project. It focuses attention on seniors’ connection to migration, social justice, and social lives. Using African wax fabric and other assorted materials, participants will create mixed-media portraits that would be exhibited at the senior centers together with stories shared.

Haley Robinson: About Face: Changing Our Perceptions of Women of Color will be a portrait series focusing on the stories behind the various facial expressions that girls & women of color don in order to navigate the world while facing racism & misogyny.

Ivan Velez Jr.: “Monster Of The Bronx” will not only document the process of creating new scripts, character designs and storyboards for a filmed web series of horror-genre shorts based on the multicultural mythology of Bronx but will debut them online and onscreen in a celebration event at a public Bronx celebration.

Peggy Robles Alvarado: “More Than Just…” presented by Robleswrites Productions “If only I were (_______) I’d be beautiful!” This is the unsettling thought of many women of color struggling with misconceptions of beauty. “More Than Just…” presented by Robleswrites Productions, celebrates the perceived flaws of intergenerational women through ritual healing, original works of poetry, storytelling prose, photography, and experimental film.

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