MOMA, Ananse and Tim Burton! Oh My!

Courtesy of pulpfashion.com

On December 12th both BAC (Bronx Art Collective ) and BAE (Bronx Acting Ensemble ) went on a field trip to MOMA! We had a wonderful time. Our main purpose was to see the Tim Burton Exhibit.



BAC participant Kevin, commented that while Tim Burton's artwork is "interesting, twisted and abstract", he thought "it was unusual to see this work at the MOMA." Edwin, the BAC intern thought that the Tim Burton exhibit was "humorous, even though a bit cruel."

While at MOMA we were looking for inspiration and ideas to help us with our current project. We are working alongside BAE to produce a play for children about Ananse the spider. During this trip we picked up a lot of ideas for costumes, scenery and props.

After viewing the Burton exhibit we walked through MOMA's many galleries for inspiration.

We had a wonderful day! Our next post will detail the behind the scenes making of Ananse, until next time!

2009-2010 BAC Program Launches with a Trip to The New Museum to see Emory Douglas

Screengrab courtesy of Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times

BAC is back in session and on October 17th we went to see the Emory Douglas show at the New Museum. Emory Douglas was a member of the Black Panther Party and he was known as "the "revolutionary artist of the movement."

His artwork was first published in the Black Panther newspaper, which advocated programs they initiated, while discussing politics and police brutality. Douglas uses a combination of printmaking, collage and drawing techniques to create simple yet powerful statements about the events of the times. The Black Panther Party started in the 1960's during the Civil Rights Movement in response to discrimination against African Americans, Hispanics, Immigrants and Gays and Lesbians.

Some things we noticed and learned from the exhibition are:

"What caught my attention was how many Black Panther's are still incarcerated to this day, for being activists and speaking there minds. Also Douglas' images are just, BAM! There's no censorship, they're very direct." - Edwin

"It was a big surprise to learn about all the public initiatives and services the Black Panthers provided for the community. They had free transportation for the elderly and a free breakfast program for kids." - Naralyn

"A map detailing the number of Black Panther Community Centers in the United States showed the divisions within our country. The south had fewer community centers, while the west and east coasts had many." - Carlos

"The Black Panthers rallied to free B.P. prisoners and provided lawyers, who fought to make them innocent and absolve them of crimes charged against them." - Karina

"I always thought the Black Panthers were violent. I never knew they had lawyers in their group, and that they knew it was legal to carry unloaded guns to protect themselves from police brutality." - Kevin

To learn more about Emory Douglas and the Black Panthers click here: http://www.newmuseum.org/exhibitions/415