Saturday, April 17, 2010

Bronx Blooms Mural Pitch

Bronx Blooms Mural Design


"The Morrisania community is in transformation. We are seeing a revitalization here and want to show that this place is a great place to live. Art is a healing factor in an environment. Murals should invite people to live here, and unite the community. Murals visually stimulate and are powerful, they support a transformation within a community. This is just the beginning, an anchor." - Peter Magistro

Today BAC pitched the mural design to Peter Magistro from Bronx Pro. We asked the question: Why are murals powerful and how can a mural support in transforming a community? Some of the responses included:

  • Murals create dialogue between members of a community
  • Murals are powerful because they make art accessible to everyone
  • Murals provide visual aesthetics for a community and provide powerful images that inspire
  • Murals support in transforming a community because the entire community will be striving towards a common goal
For this mural, Bronx Blooms, BAC designed giant flowers with central themes about "what's great about the Bronx" inside them. The flowers symbolize new beginnings, rebirth and growth. Historically murals symbolize transformation in neighborhoods. Because they are known to make a change. Our goal is to give hope and inspiration for the people living here. Here are some examples of the central scenes:


Rone Graves, Bronx River


Diana Perea, Botanical Gardens



Edwin Velasquez, The Beat of the Bronx


Stay tuned for more information about the mural in upcoming weeks!

Saturday, April 10, 2010

DreamYard and Bronx Pro Mural Project

Bronx Blooms Mural Project Sketch-up

Site of Bronx Blooms mural


DreamYard and Bronx Pro have partnered to make a mural titled Bronx Blooms celebrating the Bronx and OSP's core values. The wall is located behind DreamYard's new art center in the Morrisania neighborhood. The goal of the mural is to create peace and serenity, Diana explains "we want people to feel tranquil when they look at it." Combining giant 3D flowers with Bronx based imagery we hope the mural will "transform the drab cinder block wall into something energetic and colorful" says Christopher." DreamYard's core values are Voice, Culture and Justice.

Since we could not paint directly on to the wall, we began to brainstorm ideas using shapes cut out of MDO plywood. The idea of painting giant flowers came from a sketch by BAC participant, Kevin. We then started sketching out central themes into the core of the flowers, some of these include vacant abandoned lots transitioning into something beautiful and the Bronx River. Kevin states "I don't want to make a cliche message that everyone has already seen before, but something special and that people can connect to."


Bronx Blooms Mural Project Schematic

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Opening Night of miniMAX


On a beautiful and sunny Thursday evening, the proud parents and young DreamYard artists gathered at the Bronx Museum of the Arts for the official opening of miniMAX.

This year, BAC participants curated a variety of art from all over the Bronx. Some of the curated themes for the show included: Dark and Stormy, Geometric, Faces and Animation. On opening night, the energy was amazing! As people walked around the exhibit, you could see that they were lost in thought, examining and interpreting all the pieces.

After an hour into the night, we had speeches giving thanks to all that had come out and participated. We also heard statements given by some of the young artists and handed out awards. One of the most memorable moments of the evening was seeing our guest artist, Skowman Hastanan receive a gift from Narelyn Camacho, a BAC member. All in all, the miniMAX show was a success!

(Photo's of opening night coming soon)

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Family Workshops at The Bronx Museum of the Arts


As part of the miniMAX show the BAC participants led a family art making workshop. It was a big hit, and also a great opportunity for parents and children alike to get creative and see the show. But I have to say, the children were the real stars of the day. They made many beautiful pieces out of their imagination. It's a great joy to know that people so young could be so interested in art. I feel that BAC is truly bringing out the Da Vinci in everyone!