Bronx River Ecomedia Blog

ORIGINAL ART WORKS FOR SALE THROUGH JULY 7TH, 2007

JUNE, 2007, Bronx, NY.… The Bronx River Art Center (BRAC), located in the heart of the Bronx at 1087 East Tremont Avenue (near Boston Rd @West Farms Square) presents its 2007 Student Exhibition and Benefit Sale, opening with a Party on JUNE 29th, from 4pm-7pm.

BRAC invites the Bronx community to celebrate the accomplishments of our talented youth and to support BRAC’s mission to provide art and environmental education to our community. The exhibition will feature paintings, drawings, prints, ceramics, darkroom/digital photography, graphic design, 3D virtual worlds, sound installations and films produced by youth, adults and parent/child teams in our FREE fine arts and digital media classes. The event will include presentations of awards and certificates, screenings of student films and refreshments. Original works of art, student designed and printed tee-shirts, scented sachets and other BRAC products will be available for sale.

Thanks to generous support from the US Congressman José E Serrano’s WCS-NOAA Lower Bronx River Partnership program, The New York City Departments of Youth and Community Development and Cultural Affairs, Time Warner, Helena Rubinstein and many other benefactors, BRAC offers unique opportunities for students to interact with highly-skilled professional artists in a focused educational setting. BRAC is especially grateful for the support that we receive from the Bronx community through fundraising efforts like our benefit sales. Proceeds from the sale will assist in keeping affordable quality arts programming for Bronx youth and community residents.

This exhibition is free and open to the public. The art work will be available for viewing and purchasing through July 7th, 2007. Gallery Hours are Monday through Friday from 3pm to 6:30pm and Saturday from 12pm to 5pm. All purchases are tax deductible and can be made by check or cash. For more information, pleas call 718-589-5819 for more information.

Digital photographs are available upon request to eschneiderman@bronxriverart.org

Travel Directions: Train: IRT # 2 or 5 to East Tremont Ave. Walk one block east.Bus: #s 9, 21, 36, 40, 42, or Q44 to East Tremont and Boston Road. Car: Bruckner Expressway to the Sheridan Expressway and exit at Tremont Ave., or Cross Bronx Expressway to Rosedale Ave. Exit.

On June 2nd, BRAC ecoMedia students participated in Hunt’s Points 4th Annual Fish Parade: Love Your Environment, Backyard and Beyond co-sponsored by the Point and Sebaco. The first Hunts Point Fish Parade was held in 2003 to raise public awareness of the community that was to become home to the Fulton Street Fish Market, following in the trail of wholesale meat and fruit vendors. Prior to the first parade, the Point spearheaded an outreach to and protest for the residential neighborhood, highlighting environmental concerns about a huge commercial enterprise coming to the area (more pollution from truck traffic, for example). When the move became inevitable, the parade became a vehicle to celebrate Hunts Point and get to know our new neighbor. Loosely modeled after the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island, the parade welcomes the participation of community groups, organizations and individuals. Key to the Fish Parade is an emphasis on incorporating some of the quality-of-life issues in Hunts Point into the pageantry of Parade. Winding for a mile through the streets of Hunts Point, and stopping traffic as it crosses Bruckner Boulevard, the procession features new and vibrant work by emerging artists, community groups and schools throughout the Bronx and beyond.

ecoMedia students had their faces painted, carried a hand-made banner, dip nets, and handed out microinvertebrate stickers to people lined on the streets. Before the parade some families went on canoe rides up & down the Bronx River with Rocking the Boat, gathering sounds, and taking pictures, and they also participated in fishing along the dock organized by I FISH NY. It was a fun (and extremely HOT) afternoon!

Barry Joseph from Global Kids coordinated eight teens (7 in person, one in TSL) to talk about their work at the Games for Change Conference at the New School University. making, modding, evaluating, and making movies out of games.

Brandon Pagan represented the Bronx River Art Center, and spoke on a panel with teens from Computer for Youth Global Kids Playing 4 Keeps & Virtual Video Project, and the Institute for Urban Game Design in Washington, D.C. Brandon spoke about the role/impact of games in his life, and how the ecoMedia program is using contemporary game engines to articulate environmental issues. Using a PowerPoint slide show that he and the Media Coordinator put together, he articulately shared the entire process of creating a game level in Unreal Tournament, including modeling 3D objects in Maya, using his own project as a reference.

The teens ranged in age from six grade to two who graduated just two days earlier (one as valedictorian). Each group presented for 5-8 minutes and then took questions from the audience, who consisted of about 150-plus educators, academics, techies and non-profit workers that instantly warmed to the panel.

Many people have contacted Barry since the conference, and told him how inspiring they felt the panel was.

See the article from Toronto Star on the Youth Panel

 Wildman Steve Brill visited Drew Gardens recently and introduced students to hunting for wild foods. They didn’t have to hunt far as it turned out because there were plenty growing along the Bronx River.Here are some student comments on the experience:

WILDMAN STEVE BRILL UNLEASHED! by Rei WalkerLast Monday Wildman Steve Brill came and taught us about all the plants in the garden that we can pick off the ground and eat. While we were still inside the BRAC center I saw a crazy looking guy ask where the bathroom was, and I just knew it had to be “wildman Steve Brill”. Once we got into the garden he introduced himself and he went crazy in the garden picking up plants and eating them. He insisted on everyone trying the plants but all I could think about was what animal used it as a toilet.

This is poison ivy, Steve says not to eat it or else you’ll end up like the German lady in his story.

These are Mulberries, they taste very good… or so they say. I wouldn’t eat it…

WILDMAN STEVE BRILL… AND THE FOREST by Michael Medina

Last week the class had a work shop where we went to the bronx river watershed. when we got there we met a guy who looked like a mountain climber named wildman steve. he was kinda funny looking but after he told us about himself we realized this was gunna be interesting….. he stopped first only 10 feet away from the point where we started and showed us what looked like a clover. he said it was edible and that it tasted pretty good. i was a little skeptical at first but when i saw everyone else trying it i wondered how bad it could be. i went with the crowd and tried it. to my surprise it wasn’t so bad. it had this strange taste to it which was like a mix between grapes and lemonade…. soon after eating it i realized something had to have peed on it by now!!! after that i vowed never to eat plants like that again. soon after explaining how it wasn’t a clover we left to the little forest that was nearby. sadly i noticed a naruto symbol on three of the rocks at the entrance. i was wondering ‘what would drive somebody crazy enough to do that?!’it was awkward. i guess there are some pretty loyal fans out there. as we continued through the path and i watched out for the poison ivy. i carefully followed close by the wild man as he explained the different types of plants that are visible there.

Hello by Hannah Matte

Last Week we had a workshop. The workshop was fun. There was a man who talked to us about plants. We walked around the garden while he told us what plants we could eat, what plants were poisonous, and what plants could help us with bug bites and fevers.

June 11, 2007

5:30–8:00p.m.

DREW GARDENS   

Take part in the Bronx River Alliance Summer Assembly! This is a chance to celebrate the river and all the good things happening in the watershed. Come and meet the Alliance and our partners.

Join us and get your copy of the Bronx River Classroom: The Inside Track for Educators

Bring students if you’d like!

Refreshments will be served.

Please RSVP to Michelle Williams, Outreach Coordinator, 718.430.4636 or michelle.williams@parks.nyc.gov

On Thursday, May 31st several students from the Bronx River Art Center’s ecoMedia program participated in the Bronx River Alliance Student Symposium held at Rocking the Boat’s On Water Program in Hunts Point. Nia Brown, Adam Rodriguez, Hannah Matte and Jordan Rivera showed off their digital media projects in photography, web design, game design, and documentary video, and they also shared how to use these tools effectively to communicate environmental issues. In addition, students explored other presentations and work being done by youth from Banana Kelley, Youth Ministry for Peace and Justice, Rocking the Boat, Bronx Academy, and many others. After the presentations, students enjoyed refreshments, and boat rides with Rocking the Boat’s mentors.