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This summer I am working with WHEDco to create a Step Street Mural in the Highbridge neighborhood of The Bronx. We have done a couple of outreach events to let the community know this is coming and to gather volunteers to help with the painting process. Right now we are just waiting on some permits but I can already taste the paint!!! ____________ In the past years, some organizations and neighborhoods in the Bronx have started to fight back against the burden of being number 62 out of 62 counties in the health rank of New York. Part of the #Not62 initiative have been the community gardens that have sprung around the borough, promoting healthy eating. One of the issues we face is the food deserts, where you have to travel in order to get fruits and vegetables, and when you find them they are expensive and their quality is not great. These small gardens give the communities an alternative option, growing your own food, and at the same time they create community spaces where you get to know your neighbors and share time with them. This step street mural is an homage to those gardens and at the same time will make fun and colorful the fact that you have to go up and down the stairs, promoting exercise. In this project I want to involve the community gardens inviting them to help in the painting process and also bringing information about what they do and where they are located to get more people to join them. Public art is a great outreach platform. Once we are done we will write the names of the gardens in the steps.
Sometimes there are projects that happen and you don't know how much fun they are going to be until they happen. The preparation for this mural was somehow long and uncertain because of the design. We went through several sketches and I wasn't even sure if the one we went with was what the school wanted. After all that work, my process is always “let it flow... there’s nothing wrong in art” you are working with kids, so whatever ideas you have in your head, most likely won't be what they want to do. I gave them some directions, and some of them were disregarded (like keep the hand prints in the sun) so we incorporated that in the design. I think after all, it ended up looking great. Over 30 kids participated in this community mural during period of 2 hours. They painted and wrote words that school inspired them and we all had an awesome evening.
I've been doing Paint Parties for a while. Last week, a friend asked me to facilitate one for her birthday. She is very creative with her birthday parties and loves painting and crafting. I created a special painting for the event, inspired in the fall, as she requested, I designed a cute warm peacock. Even though they started a little scared, the blank canvas is very intimidating, at the end of the night everyone had a great piece of art to hang in their walls. I am always so proud!!! It is very rewarding to see how they create something from nothing.
It's been a hard month but life goes on and we are back with our monthly Paint the Night Away events! This September our design will be a surprise (with flowers involved)!
Friday, September 9th at The Bronx Beer Hall from 7 to 10 p.m. $35 ticket includes a FREE drink and ALL art materials. At the end of the night you will take home your own creation on a canvas! Buy your tickets here This month we have a special treat! During our summer months, adults and children in the community have created designs on the aprons that you will use. It is a way for them to thank you for your financial contribution! You can have this specially designed aprons! You can purchase the apron you will use this evening for only $5. This evening, all funds collected by BxArts Factory will support our Free Workshop Series for 2017! With your contributions we are able to purchase materials, support the artists facilitating the workshops and provide free of cost snacks for participants. We love our Free Workshops Series and we are happy to receive your support for our 3rd consecutive year of programming.  Our Paint the Night Away party is back in July!!! We are back at the Bronx Beer Hall by popular demand! Join us for a fun, chillax night of painting, beer drinking, music and real cool vibes!!! July 1st will be a celebration of summer's arrival! Let's paint the summer solstice!! Join us!! Buy Tickets HERE Ticket includes a FREE drink (Draft Beer or House Wine). And all art materials. At the end of the night you will take home your own creation on a canvas! This evening, all funds collected by BxArts Factory will support our 2017 Free Workshop Series!! Help us keep our workshops free and open to ALL members of our community! Your donation will help us with materials, artists stipend and it will allow us to expand the types of workshops offered!
Last Friday we had our BxArts Factory Paint the Night Away celebrating Bike to Work Day. The turnout was amazing, the DJ incredible, as always, and everyone did a great job with their paintings. I hole you can join us for the next one in June!!! Thank you to everyone who made it to celebrate my birthday!!!
My Recycled Bouquet of Flowers
FREE ART WORKSHOP Sunday, May 22nd. 11 to 2 p.m. Dome Playground in Brooklyn 38th St, Brooklyn, NY I will be facilitating a really fun up-cycling art workshop this Sunday. Come to Brooklyn to enjoy a creative day celebrating Spring! Dome PlaygroundSituated on the northeast corner of 38th Street and Dahill Road, Dome Playground is named in honor of community activists Charles (1904-1984) and Jessie Dome (1904-1987). Long-time residents of Borough Park, Brooklyn, the Domes devoted themselves to improving their community. DATE CHANGE! JUNE 4th at 1 p.m.
Join me on a free art workshop I will be teaching this week!
InkBlots: A blotted pattern of spilled ink Saturday, June 4th. 1-3:30 p.m. Huntington Free Library 9 Westchester Square, Bronx, NY “InkBlots” give me the freedom to doodle on top of random ink stains, letting my hand draw free over the colors, creating different shapes, faces and monsters. No censure. No regrets. Every mistake will be revamped and will create a work of art. Now I want you to experience, imagine, and create your own inkblots. Use the random stains to stimulate your senses, forget what is right or wrong, everyone can enjoy and make art. This workshop is possible thanks to The Bronx Council on the Arts. |
I am a...Graphic Designer, Illustrator, Educator, Community Activist... ARTIST! All Images COPYRIGHT © 2008-2026, are property of Laura Alvarez Fernandez. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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