We had an amazing opening for Noel Hefele's exhibit "Daylighting Tibbetts En Plein Air" -- the exhibit includes 15 watercolor paintings following the path of Tibbetts Brook as it will be brought back up into the daylight in a massive project being done by the city of New York. There is more information here on Van Cortlandt Park Alliance's website.
Thanks to everyone who came out. Thanks to Stephanie Ehrlich and Christina Taylor from VCP Alliance for speaking about the project. The exhibit will run through March 29th. Gallery Hours are Fridays, 2-4pm.
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 We had another great book club discussing And the Mountains Echoed, the third novel by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini. Published in 2013 by Riverhead Books. The book is written similarly to a collection of short stories, with each of the nine chapters being told from the perspective of a different character. The book's foundation is built on the relationship between ten-year-old Abdullah and his three-year-old sister Pari and their father's decision to sell her to a childless couple in Kabul, an event that ties the various narratives together.
 Our Holiday Extravaganza was filled with joy and fun! Hundreds of children enjoyed lunch with Santa, dancing to live music and face painting. The mechanical reindeer ride was huge and impressive and lots of smiling kids of all ages got to take fun rides. Special thanks to all the volunteers and to Downey’s for hosting the event.  It was wonderful to have Santa come by and visit us this week and meet so many children from our community. Happy holidays to everyone!   We had another fascinating book club. This month we read and discussed "M Train" by Patti Smith.
M Train is Smith's second memoir, following the 2010 National Book Award-winning Just Kids. While Just Kids recounts Smith's early life, the beginning of her career and particularly her relationship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe, M Train focuses on a later portion of her life, the period since the release of her debut album Horses in 1975. The memoir particularly recounts the personal losses that marked the forty-year span between Horses and M Train, including the deaths of Mapplethorpe in 1989, of AIDS; Smith's husband, guitarist Fred "Sonic" Smith, in 1994 at 45, of heart failure; and Smith's brother Todd a month later, of a stroke. Hope to see you next month.  Clothing Drive was a huge success! Thank you to our volunteers Lisa, Jessyka and her daughter, and Gary. Thank you to all who donated. These clothes are getting redirected to a shelter on E. 185th St in The Bronx. Shoutout to Kari Munoz who wheeled over over 30 coats from The Hebrew Institute of Riverdale.
 We had another brilliant book club discussion, this month's book was "Sweetbitter" by Stephanie Danler. This is becoming one of our favorite monthly events. This group is so insightful and enthusiastic about diving into the novels. Looking forward to the next one!
 This is one of our favorite times of year and favorite events. Our community comes out in full force to enjoy the holiday and we love providing a safe and fun creative space for families to relax, listen to music, make crafts and share their wonderful costumes.  Over 1,000 community members came out on this beautiful day to celebrate Halloween. All the businesses participated with candy and fun activities: Hugo's- pumpkin toss Bronx Burger House- Halloween tattoos and pin the eyeball on the zombie Greystone- dancing ghosts art activity Universal Pet Grooming- BEAN BAG TOSS BBQ PIT- KNOCK THE CANS FRIDA- SUGAR SKULL COLORING ACTIVITY NOVA- GUMMY BEAR FOUNDATION WITH 2 GAMES TIERNEY'S- BALLOON MYSTERY POP REMAX- WITCH HAT TOSS O'BRIEN'S- DUCK POND ESCUELITA DE SOFIA/RIVERDALE POP UP MARKET- ART ACTIVITY (co-organizer) ULTIMA- SPIDER TOSS COLDWELL BANKER- SKEEBALL/BABY PUMPKIN GIVEAWAY ALLSTATE-ART ACTIVITY DINO'S PIZZA- PUMPKIN POOL NOODLE ART ACTIVITY JENNI'S SALON- BOWLING EARLY BIRD- SLIME THE SKELETON EMILIANOS'S- PUNCH CUP FOR A PRIZE/PHOTO WALL EUROPEAN GOURMET AND CATERING-SENSORY BIN ACTIVITY ELISA CONTEMPORARY ART- COLORING ACTIVITY Thank you to JUST A POP AWAY for helping to organize this event and decorating. Thank you to Priscila Rodriguez for face painting. Shout out to Riverdale Stables for donating hay.  Thank you to Sam Turner and the Kappock Street Poets for putting together an amazing evening of readings -- the writing was stunning. Thank you to everyone who came out and to the poets including Kay Bell, the 2023-2025 Bronx Poet Laureate. She is an Educator, Storyteller and Music Enthusiast. For her, writing works as a birthing floor for healing, invention, and reimagination— where the poetic voice is responsible for both blessing and bruising the inquiring reader. Currently, she works as an Academic Advisor and Adjunct Professor at the City College of New York and can be found nurturing her plants and her two sons, in the heart of the South Bronx. IG @poetesskay or @bronxpoetlaureate Website: iamkaybell.com Brian Higgins is originally from Massachusetts and has lived in the NYC area since moving here temporarily in 1986. He works in healthcare and in his spare time searches for just the right word. Stephanie Pacheco is the 2023 New York City Youth Poet Laureate and the Inaugural New York State Youth Poet Laureate. She was also a member of the 2022 New York City Youth Slam Team, with Urban Word NYC. Hailing from The Bronx, she has been a leading organizer and strategist with several activist organizations including the Healing Centered Schools Task Force, working to mobilize youth across the city against educational injustice. She is a recipient of the 2021 Princeton Prize in Race Relations. Her advocacy and poetry have been highlighted by The New York Times, The Today Show, NPR, The Daily News, CBS, and other publications. She has spoken and performed in several spaces such as The Schomburg Center, The Apollo Theater, The Barclays Center, The New York Public Library, TedXCUNY, and more. |
Past Projects and Events
June 2024
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