Our Arts in the Park Celebration was a huge success. We had such a gorgeous day for it and Henry Hudson Park provided the perfect atmosphere. Thanks to John Pinamonti and Seeing Voices for playing and thank you to all the fine artists who participated, and especially thanks to our wonderful community who came out to support local musicians and artists, and to make connections. We are grateful!

Another wonderful opening at Gallery 505 for Janice DeMarino's exhibit "Visual Fields". It will be up until December 29th. Thanks to Scott Bravo for his gorgeous music.

Another great book club discussing "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin. Looking forward to our next one on November 1st. Join us!

Monday Fundays are back this fall, our mini-festivals at 505BX with live music, face painting, street performers, give-aways including free books, and games for the kids. It continues to be a wonderful place for children and parents to relax after the school day.

We are so pleased to have Ida Metsberg back. Finland is known for being one of the happiest places in the world and it's no surprise that Ida, native to the land, brings deep, meaningful, vibrant, and nourishing energy through her songs. Now calling New York her home, the singer/songwriter has been bringing her light and unique perspective to the city streets and leaving people with a memorable, and lasting impression.

We  had another wonderful book club meeting discussing one of our favorites "Breakfast at Tiffany's". See you at the next one on October 4th.

We were thrilled to host an evening of poetry with this amazing group of writers including Kay Bell, the 2023-2025 Bronx Poet Laureate, ​and author of two collections of poetry: Cry Sweat Bleed Write (Lily Poetry Review Books, 2020) & Diary of an Intercessor (Finishing Line Press, 2021). She received her MFA from The City College of New York. iamkaybell.com
 
Ellen Kombiyil is the author of Histories of the Future Perfect (2015), and avalanche tunnel (2016). Her forthcoming book, Love as Invasive Species, will be released by Cornerstone Press in 2024. A BRIO Award winner from Bronx Council on the Arts (2022), she teaches at Hunter College. ellenkombiyil.com
 
Lynn McGee is the author of the poetry collections Tracks Broadstone Books, 2019); Sober Cooking (Spuyten Duyvil Press, 2016), and two award-winning poetry chapbooks: Heirloom Bulldog (Bright Hill Press, 2015) and Bonanza (Slapering Hol Press, 1997). Lynn earned an MFA in Poetry at Columbia University. lynnmcgee.com
 
​Melinda Wilson is a published poet, critic and essayist. Her work has appeared in journals such as Verse Daily, The Cincinnati Review, The Minnesota Review, Arsenic Lobster, The Agriculture Reader and Coldfront. She holds an MFA from The New School and a PhD in English from Florida State University.
manhattan.edu/campus-directory/mwilson02

​Thanks to everyone who came out. It was a wonderful event.

We had such a fantastic event at Van Cortlandt House Museum! The band, Morrisania Band Project, was amazing, everyone huddled under the trees and stuck around through the short rain shower in the middle, and then danced their feet off at the end. Thanks to the Museum and Van Cortlandt Park Alliance for their support. And thank you to our wonderful community for coming out and supporting the arts and culture.

We had a fantastic turn out for Annette Back's opening of her exhibit "In Dreams" at our Gallery 505. It was a hot, steamy night and our community filled the space and spilled over to take in her gorgeous work. Everyone enjoyed Scott Bravo's music and terrific food and connecting with fellow art lovers. The exhibit is up through September 29th.

Thank you to Vivian Carter and Friends of Ewen Park for organizing such a fun event. Thanks to our community for coming out, and to Allen Gogarty and his band for the beautiful music.

ALLEN GOGARTY was born into a musical family in County Meath, Ireland, and began playing various musical instruments at an early age. He began to write his own songs in his early teens. His siblings and he started a band and performed the pub circuit in Ireland and festivals in Europe. After studying at the famed Academy of Music and Ballyfermot College of Music in Dublin, Allen went out on his own, performing in Ireland and Europe. After gaining much notoriety, Allen was asked to open for both Suzanne Vega and Status Quo.

Allen has lived in NYC for over two decades, playing both as a solo artist and with his powerhouse band, the Wads. He is well known for championing many benefits and fundraisers for those in need. ​