The Bronx Museum of the Arts Bronx Lab

@bronxlab

Bronx Lab is a test site for new ideas at The Bronx Museum of the Arts, engaging audiences in meaningful discussions about contemporary culture. Bronx Lab serves as a center axis connecting education and curatorial initiatives, exploring the past, present, and future of the Bronx. Using exhibitions, public programing, social media, as well as hands-on activities, participants in the Lab explore critical views of our borough’s culture.

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We celebrated the Bronx's 100th anniversary with three pedestrian Sundays in August, 3rd, 10th, 17th on the Grand Concourse between 165th and 167th Streets. The center lanes were closed to cars and open to a world of fun, with free music, activities and programs hosted by art/cultural, civic, health organizations and artists.

#boogieblvd #boogie on the boulevard #bronx museum #bronx lab

A poetry reading, storytelling, and film screening explored the Bronx through the stories of the boxers who are indelibly linked to the borough. Fighters Joshua Clottey, Iran Barkley, Luis Resto, Aaron Davis, and Louis del Valle shared their relationship to the borough through the perspective of their boxing practice. Poet Gabriele Tinti presented his epic songs about boxing and a screening of a poetry film by Michele Civetta of Quintessence Film. Organized by Gabriele Tinti and Joe de Guardia.

#Gabriele Tinti #Joe de Guardia #Joshua Clottey #Iran Barkley #Luis Resto #Aaron Davis #Louis del Valle

boogiedownrides

Boogie on the Boulevard-Volunteer Signup

Attention Boogie Down Riders! Boogie on the Boulevard is bringing Summer Streets back to the Grand Concourse THIS AUGUST!!! We need your help to make it a success! Click the link to volunteer!

#boogie boulevard #grand concourse #summer streets #bronx #bronxmuseum #transportation alternatives

Boogie Down Rides South Bronx Mural bike tour

Boogie Down Rides hosted a bike ride exploring the murals of Hunts Point and Concourse Village.

#boogiedownrides #boogie down rides #bronx museum #bronx lab #mural bike tour #south bronx

BRONX LAB: REIMAGINING THE GRAND CONCOURSE

Artist James Rojas lead a model-building workshop, complete with on-site interactive models and helped visitors engage in the planning and design process. Participants were able to translate conceptual urban planning ideas into physical forms, and learn about the value of planning and design in shaping how we live.

#james rojas #re-imagining grand concourse #bronx #bronx museum #bronx lab

Tanya Fields from the BLK Projek lead a cooking workshop with organic produce.

The BLK ProjeK seeks to address food justice and economic development by harnessing the local, good food movement and creating small business and career opportunities for underserved women and youth of color. Through culturally relevant education, beautification of public spaces, urban gardening and community programming we create easily accessible resources and enrich the lives of women who are routinely overlooked and overburdened yet serve an important and critical role in the larger fabric of society.We will strengthen overall mental and public health, create viable pathways out of poverty, support local growers thereby elevating the collective self esteem of the larger communities we live in.

#bronxlab #bronx museum #tanya fields #blk projek

Saturday’s workshop provided participants with the opportunity to explore the practice of mail art thorugh an intimate workshop with artists Michael and Alan Fleming. Upon arrival participants were given a handout about mail art and encouraged to view examples in the Bruscky exhibition. The Flemings began the workshop by briefly summarizing some of the history of mail art and discussing a couple examples of their own work. They did a 5 minute collaborative exercise as a warm up. For example, they first asked everyone to cut out a piece of a Bronx postcard paste it to the page and pass to the neighbor on their left. This series of short directed interventions primed people to work collaboratively and not to stress about a finished product. All of the warm up works were lined up at the end of the exercise so people could view the journey their works had taken.

The final project was an extension of the warm-up and allowed participants to take more care of their work while still working under a short time frame and collaborating with others. At the end, the group viewed the final works and each person was asked to choose one and seal it in an envelope. Once the envelopes were sealed the Flemings told everyone to pass their mail artwork two people to the left and then address it to themselves or a friend.

Participants took the bus to the post office together. Glenn Palmer Smith led a tour of the Ben Shahn murals, discussing the background of the artist, historical context of the work, mural construction process and iconography of the panels. Participants were engaged and asked lots of questions during the tour.

#ben shah murals #bronx museum #bronx lab #bronx post office #mail art #fleming brothers

This past Sunday was the second edition of Bronx Lab.

The workshop began with artist Carmen Hernandez introducing her work to the participants. Then she explained that during the second half of the workshop they would be creating performance props to bring with them outside of the museum for the performance. People really enjoyed hearing about Carmen’s work and were actively engaged asking questions about the video and laughing at Carmen’s anecdotes about orchestrating her performances.

While we lost some participants after Carmen’s presentation, others joined in for the performance. Carmen brought a range of fun props and materials for people to assemble and taught the group a song that we practiced inside and sang during the performance. People said they enjoyed being a part of an art work and liked going outdoors for an activity. At the end of the workshop, Carmen and her performance group taught the participants a lotteria game.

#bronxmuseum #bronx lab