FEELINGS OF HOME
Feelings of Home March 20 to May 31, 2019 Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos 450 Grand Concourse at 149th Street, Room C-190, Bronx, NY 10451
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS: BANGLADESH ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS MAZARTE VIRGINIA AYRESS MORENO GINA GOICO WABAFU GARIFUNA DANCE THEATER JAWARA CLARK FLY I.D. Curated by Julia Pimes Mata Feelings of Home: Folk Culture and Memory brings together seven artists and collectives to showcase work created collectively within the artists’ respective communities and alongside people. The exhibit showcases contemporary works by local dancers, textile artists, and game-makers, among others whose practices find and make a home in rented community spaces, living rooms, and the street. The exhibition explores how history and expression are experienced through movement, textiles, clothing, and other modes of representation that intersect with day-to-day experience. The artists featured in Feelings of Home work to preserve collective memory and history, while exploring the subsequent transformation of their practices by migratory and generational experiences. The exhibition asks: Who is creating the art forms that are embedded in our everyday lives? How does the interpretation of tradition get transformed by experiences of migration, and by multiple generations born in and outside countries of origin? What are our earliest exposures to creation, expression, and storytelling, and how do those shape us?
Opening Reception Wednesday, March 20 6:00-9:00 pm Opening Reception with performance by Wabafu Garifuna Dance Theater Poetry Through Movement Workshop with Daya Arts Wednesday, April 17 6:00-8:00 pm In Indian classical dance, abhinaya is the subtle use of hand gestures, facial expressions, and body language to bring to life the nuances of text and subtext in a dance composition. Abhinaya movements can be used as a device for narration, to describe action through metaphor, and in character depiction. Workshop participants will learn some basic hand gestures, eye movements, body positions, and exercises to help establish character and intention in a performance space. Closing Reception Friday, May 31 6:00-9:00 pm Closing Reception featuring live interview with selected artists in the exhibition, conducted by teens in The Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center’s Folk Culture Program Youth Programs Last spring, the Bronx Council on the Arts launched its much awaited Youth Arts Engagement Program at Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos. This initiative seeks to increase Bronx youth’s awareness of local arts, while encouraging youth to embark on a life of ongoing culture engagement they can relate to. Youth benefit from free, age appropriate art activities that foster critical thinking and public presentation skills. Conversations and Q&A with artists— who often reside in the same neighborhoods as the youth, and who share similar racial and cultural identities, as well as nations of origin—address relevant cultural identity themes and social issues familiar to local youth. We encourage organizations, schools and others working with youth aged 14-25 to participate in one of these exciting free group sessions, offering youth an experience they will never forget. Please contact Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos at 718-518-6728.
THE BRONX COUNCIL OF THE ARTS Founded by visionary community leaders in 1962, the Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA) is dedicated to advancing cultural equity in the Bronx. From creative placemaking and arts advocacy to the provision of services for artists and programming for youth and seniors, BCA was the first organization in the Bronx to focus equally on supporting local artists, serving the community, and catalyzing relationships between the two. BCA serves a constituency of some 1.4 million residents, 1,500+ artists and 250 arts and community-based organizations with cultural services and arts programs, including grants, workshops, arts advocacy, and cutting-edge exhibitions. Over the years, BCA has adapted its programs to serve the ever-changing needs of the borough’s cultural ecosystem, evolving into an acclaimed cultural hub for the entire Bronx. www.bronxarts.org @bronxartsorg LONGWOOD ARTS PROJECT The Longwood Arts Project is the contemporary arts program of the Bronx Council on the Arts. The Project operates under the mission to support artists and their work, especially emerging artists and those from underrepresented and under-resourced communities within the Bronx. Longwood Arts Project hosts exhibits and public programs that provide opportunities for free and open dialogue on arts and culture. Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos is the main exhibition space of the Longwood Arts Project. The Gallery presents solo and group exhibitions of art produced in various mediums and through interdisciplinary practices that connect artists, communities, and ideas within and beyond the Bronx. THE HOSTOS CENTER FOR THE ARTS & CULTURE The Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture of Hostos Community College / CUNY was created in 1982 to serve the cultural needs of residents of the South Bronx who do not have the means or the inclination to attend arts events in Manhattan. In so doing, the Hostos Center strives to create forums in which the cultural heritages of its audiences are affirmed and nurtured. Its patrons, however, come from all over the metropolitan area, making the Center an institution of regional importance. In its state-of-the-art facilities (a museum-grade art gallery, operated jointly by the Center and the Bronx Council on the Arts, and two theaters of 900 and 360 seats each), the Hostos Center presents renowned visual and performing artists as well as local professional artists. www.hostoscenter.org
BANGLADESH ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS BAFA’s mission is to build a community which encourages excellence in creative expression through performing arts, literature and cultural activism. We are dedicated to preserving the South Asian heritage by facilitating performances, training, education & community activities for all.
CLARK FLY ID In the heart of the South Bronx in the late 80’s a progressive prismatic artist, known by all as Clark (originally Clark Kent), formed the crew FLY I.D. His escapades with graff led him to the streets along the New York City 2 and 5 lines. After over a decade of illegal artwork he became more involved in the generally unaccepted (in the graffiti world) legal side of the graff art form. As time went on he realized that his artwork was having a profound positive effect in the communities where he painted. From that point, with the support of the communities, Clark decided that he was going to show FLY I.D.’s artistic ability through the medium of aerosol spray paint with large participation in positive and educational art. Subjects of interest included AIDS awareness, non-violence, anti-drug abuse, and pro-family murals. Clark hopes to make a difference in the lives of everyone who receives the message of FLY I.D.’s work. Clark’s work for this show explores images of the Puerto Rican countryside, demonstrating how street art, graffiti, and muralism often connect communities to familiar images of their countries of origin in a urban setting.
GINA GOICO Gina is an interdisciplinary artist, educator and activist. Her work focuses in identity and womanhood in the Dominican Republic and its diasporas, the self, community and healing. She has worked alongside grassroots organizations in the Dominican Republic for social justice and political accountability. Gina currently works with nonprofits in NYC, making art accessible to communities of color, and is a graphic design and art teacher at a high school. She holds a AAS in Fine Arts and Illustration from The Altos de Chavon School of Design and a BFA from Parsons. Gina lives and works in The Bronx. JAWARA Oware is an abstract strategy game among the bigger Mancala family of board games (or Pit and Pebbles Games) played all over the world. It is played with slight variations pertaining to the layout of the game, number of players, and the strategy of the game. The different ways and levels of variation in which the game is played makes it hard for folklorists to determine the clear origin of the game and why it was created; however, it is widely believed to be of Akan origin. It is played throughout West Africa and the Caribbean. It’s many names consist of Ayò (Yoruba), Awalé (Côte d’Ivoire), Wari (Mali), Ouri, Ouril or Uril (Cape Verde), Warri (Caribbean), Wali (Dagbani), Adji (Ewe), Ncho (Igbo) and Awélé (Ga). The common name in English is Awari or Wari. Mr. Williams is an Antigen Wari master. From being a master player of the different variations, to being a Wari game historian, Mr. Williams has also developed his own personal technique of how to make the board game from wood. He believes in the inherent educational value of playing “Wari” and is interested in bringing this game into schools and community centers. MAZARTE MazArte’s mission is to create a union between dance, research and indigenous art, all of which are an integral part of Mexican cultural heritage. Through quality educational programming, performances, and community outreach events, MazArte brings history to life, keeps traditions alive and makes the arts accessible to all members of the community that surround them. MazArte explores and learns about the diversity found within Mexican culture, much like their surroundings. Their dance programs bring a culturally enriching extracurricular activity built on fitness, teamwork, confidencebuilding, and community engagement. They are welcoming to all who wish to expand their dance horizons.
VIRGINIA AYRESS MORENO Virginia Ayress Moreno, Visual Artist, Chilean, based in New York. Painter, engraver, muralist, mixed media installations, leads art workshops, cultural manager. WABAFU GARIFUNA DANCE THEATER Wabafu Garifuna Dance Theater (originally named Hamalali Wayunagu “Voices of Our Ancestors”) is a Garifuna, Folkloric and Modern Dance Company founded in 1992 by dancer, dance instructor and choreographer Luz F. Soliz. From its establishment, Wabafu has been an instrumental source for people in search of information about Garifuna history, dance and culture through the arts. The company’s mission is to share the rich Garifuna culture and traditions nationwide by beautifully portraying it through live music, song, drama and dance. Culture, innovation, pride, and energy are the values Wabafu thrives on. Known for its uniquely innovative choreographies, the company is the longest running Garifuna dance troupe in New York City. Wabafu Garifuna Dance Theater is an entity of Garifuna Heritage Center for the Arts and Culture, an organization dedicated to preserving the richness and authenticity of Garifuna culture by teaching it to youth, and sharing it with the world.
Feelings of Home All works courtesy the artist, unless otherwise noted
Wabafu Garifuna Dance Theater Valeria, 2015 Fabric
Wabafu Garifuna Dance Theater Paranda Festive Costume (Modernized Garifuna Dance Costume), 2008 Fabric
Huehue Masks Composite wood, paint, shellac Courtesy of MazArte Dance Company
Quetzales Headpiece Bamboo, metallic paper, hemp thread, cotton fabric, rooster feathers 38 x 44 inches Courtesy of MazArte Dance Company
Virginia Ayress Moreno Harriet Tubman, 2016 Burlap, Yarn, Acrylic Paint 8 x 5 feet
Virginia Ayress Moreno La Vie En Rose, 2016 Burlap and yarn 24 x 24 inches
Gina Goico Pelliza: Tejiendo Narrativas – Cotidiana, 2016 Fabric, fabric remnants, upcycled clothes on polytarp 8 x 3 feet each
Gina Goico Pelliza: Tejiendo Narrativas, 2015 Fabric, fabric remnants, upcycled clothes on polytarp 5 x 3 feet
Gina Goico Pelliza: Tejiendo Narrativas – Cotidiana, 2016 Video 22 minutes
Bangladesh Academy of Fine Arts Sunala Sunala Balika, 2018 Video 6 minutes
Kolshi কলসি (English: Water Pot) and Ektara একতারা (Literal translation: “one-string”) Courtesy of Bangladesh Academy of Fine Arts
Jawara Chess Boards, 2018 Medium density fiberboard 20 x 20 inches
Jawara Ludi Board, 2019 Plywood and paper collage 24 x 24 inches
Jawara Ludi Board, 2019 Plywood and paper collage 24 x 24 inches
Jawara Wari Boards, 2019 Poplar 32 x 9 inches
Clark Fly I.D. Concha Acrylic on Wood 48 x 45 inches 2019
Clark Fly I.D. C Spray paint on empty aerosol cans 39 x 36 inches 2019
Bronx Council on the Arts is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; Arts Midwest and the National Endowment for the Arts; and City Council members Andrew Cohen and Mark Gjonaj. Also supported in part by the Booth Ferris Foundation, Ovation, New Yankee Stadium Community Benefits Fund, Hispanic Federation, the City of New York, and the Department of Youth and Community Development. Special thanks to Hostos Community College and the Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture for their support.