The Bronx Museum of the Arts AIM 29 Exhibition in New York Times

The Artist in the Marketplace 29th Show (AIM 29) was featured in the New York Times Article.

Read the review Here

First Fridays! start August 7th with a celebration of Ghanaian Documentary Films

It's back everyone, First Fridays! On August 7th in collaboration with the African Film Festival is Africanísimo 3! This 3rd annual outdoor film screening event that will feature live entertainment by DJ Leidis and two great Ghanaian documentaries – “Bronx Princess,” about a 17-year-old girl who leaves behind her mother in the Bronx to reunite with her father, a chief in Ghana; and “HomeGrown: HipLife in Ghana,” which documents the ten year journey of musicians Vision in Progress from the ghettos in Accra to their first international tour.

The event will take place across the street at the Andrew Freedman Home. (1125 Grand Concourse (at McClellan Street))*. Bring your blankets!

This should be a great event that celebrates the arts and Ghanaian Culture.

*In the event of rain, the program will take place at the Museum.

Ms. Battenfield's Book Signing at the BxMA

Last Wednesday, Jackie Battenfield had her book signing at the Bronx Museum of the Arts.

We had some special guests that night, the Arts & Business Council of New York Interns, staff, and mentors were present as well as the Bronx Culture Trolley attendees.

That evening, she shared her experience as a practicing artist and identifies the difficult transition many artists have to make after they've completed a program. Her book provides an abundant amount of resources to ease that transition.

Her book covers topics such as organizing and assessing career plans. She answers the tough questions of how to present yourself professionally to gallery owners, how to get your work into those spaces and how to sustain your growing career. Images and examples accompany the text that allow for an easier understanding of this process.

For more information about her book and Ms. Battenfield click Here

You can also pick up copies of her book at the Bronx Museum of the Arts gift shop.

Thank you to all who attended the event! I hope you find the book incredibly helpful!

"The Artist's Guide: How to Make a Living Doing What You Love" book signing on Wednesday

This Wednesday, July 1, at 5:30 the Bronx Museum of the Arts will have a book signing event for Jackie Battenfield, author of The Artist’s Guide: How to Make a Living Doing What You Love.

The comprehensive handbook coincides with Living and Dreaming, the 29th annual Artist in the Marketplace (AIM) exhibition, featuring the works of 36 emerging artists; and in fact Ms. Battenfield was the AIM Program Leader for 15 years.

Ms. Battenfield is a practicing artist and teaches professional development classes at Columbia University and the Creative Capital Foundation. Her book The Artist’s Guide provides the tools and techniques for developing and sustaining a successful art career. She provides answers to the challenges artists face everyday and includes real-life examples, illustrations, step-by-step exercises, and bulleted lists that allow readers to dive in and begin working immediately.

During this event visitors will also be able to see the AIM 29 Living & Dreaming exhibition.

If you’re taking the BCA Culture Torlley, it picks passengers up at Longwood Art Gallery at Hostos (near the 149 St-Grand Concourse station) at 5:30pm.

Admission is free. For more information, please visit www.bronxmuseum.org

Wednesday, July 1, 2009, 5:30pm – 7:30pm

THE BRONX MUSEUM OF THE ARTS at the North Wing Entrance

1040 Grand Concourse (at 165th Street)

Bronx, NY

Open House and Street Fair

Sunday June 21st was BxMA’s Open House and Street Fair! Though the rain and the clouds prevented us from having the “Street Fair” on the streets, we brought the fun indoors. There was a great turnout; music by D.J. Eli Efi and Jazzmobile, tasty food from Fauzi Abdur-Rahman, and Yiya Natural Vegetarian Cuisine, vendors selling jewelry, shirts, and prints, and the opening of two great exhibitions AIM 29 Living & Dreaming and Katie Holten’s Tree Museum.

Artist in the Marketplace (AIM) is an intensive 13 week program at the Bronx Museum of the Arts that provides professional development opportunities to 36 chosen artists. At the end of the year, the public gets to see the works of the 36 chosen artists. When interviewed, mostly every artist in the program found it as an enjoyable experience that fostered community and furthered their passion for art making.

Along with the AIM 29 exhibition is Katie Holten’s public art project the Tree Museum, a “museum without walls” that celebrates conservation and preservation of trees on the 100 year old Grand Concourse. How does it work you ask? Simply stroll down the Grand Concourse, see a Tree Museum logo next to a tree and its extension number, and just dial 718-408-2501 to get an audio guide; dial the tree’s extension number and you have access to facts and stories about the trees, the neighborhood, and the Bronx told by people in the neighborhood.

You can also pick up a paper guide at the Bronx Museum of the Arts which has the complete mapping of all the trees. That same day EJ McAdams led Haiku Hikes through the Grand Concourse and a walking tour was given by urban planner Sam Goodman. The education department also had Our History, a family-art making event going on as well.











In line with the geological histories of the Grand Concourse, Bronx residents and visitors were able to share their stories of the Bronx and living by the Grand Concourse. Oral History Projects by Bronx historians Mark Naison, William Casari and Steve Siegel and My Sacred Bronx, a community project by Stephanie Diamond gathered the stories of many street fair goers.

We were able to document some testimonies as well, stay tuned to some videos and pictures

Thank you to all who attended and supported the Museum and if you weren’t able to make the opening, no fear, you can come visit the Bronx Museum of the Arts to check out the ongoing Intersections The Grand Concourse at 100 exhibition, AIM 29 Living and Dreaming Exhibition and to pick up a pamphlet of the Tree Museum.

Bronx Museum's Teen Council Teen Night Event

Here are some photos of a successful Teen Council event.
The atmosphere was filled with excitement and anticipation for the Teen Council Photography exhibition, Teen Council's podcast videos and "All the Ladies Say" film launch. We even had Sway from MTV pass by and interact with the students of Teen Council, which brought big smiles to their faces.We also had a large audience of break dancers, which they didn't waste anytime to start break dancing on our Lower Gallery floor. Hope you enjoy the photos and a short video of the event is coming soon so stay tune.

Intersections: The Grand Concourse at 100

Intersections: The Grand Concourse at 100 is divided in three segments succeeding each other chronologically: Past, Present and Future.

The first segment, Past, will feature a number of historical documents borrowed from collections of the Bronx Historical Society, the New York Public Library and the Museum of the City of New York and related to the creation of the Grand Concourse.

The second segment, Present, will focus on the present conditions in the area through a series of projects specially commissioned for the occasion.

The third segment, Future, will propose possibilities for how the Bronx could evolve in the next few decades and cope with the pressing needs for housing, green spaces, and transportation. The exhibition will open a competition for young architects to submit proposals for the area. Ten selected projects will receive stipends to produce architectural models that will be displayed at the North Wing gallery during the months of November and December.