Using classic arts instruction, film history, pop culture, cartooning, puppetry, poetry, poetry, videography, and other media, MONSTERS OF THE BRONX will allow our diverse communities to explore, question, and validate our shared diversity and multi-facted multiculturalism via our dark legends and myths. 10 workshops will produce the art (cartooning, painting, sculpture) and performances (on video and through puppetry). Folded in will be instructions from various artists in their fields of expertise, as well as panels for discussion. I will also include a film history of the Monsters of film, and how they shaped our fears, thrill, and ideas. These culminate in two public art happenings (one for children and another for adults) that celebrate our uniquely Bronx Culture and Mythology, as well as show off the student's hard work and creativity. As I've stated before, after years of experiences of creating classes and unique community events, I have come to realize that this is all part of my art. The public experience and communal bonding are just as important to me as each piece of art I create. I am seeking a way to continue this art, and exploration of my various communities. Under the title, MONSTERS OF THE BRONX, I will outreach children and adults, and use various visual languages to explore the myths and moralities of our diverse cultures. Guided by the questions; 'Where do our monsters come from?' , 'Are monsters necessary?', and 'What are the messages we receive from our popular culture. I will combine the communities art (and use my own art as a unifying element) to create two 'happenings' that explore our diverse and beloved myths. If successful, MONSTERS OF THE BRONX will not only celebrate the art-forms and histories of our dark legends, but deconstruct and reconstruct them.
