Friday, February 3, 2017

This week’s updates –

2017 Mi Casa Es Mi Casa - Visual Art Exhibit at the Point
Opening reception: February 9, 2017 • 6:00PM - 9:00 PM
940 Garrison Avenue, Bronx NY 10474

Stop by and check out a timely art show on displacement. As change continues to overtake the South Bronx landscape, members of its arts community continue to take a stand at The Point, where the exhibition “Mi Casa Es Mi Casa/My House Is My House” opens this Thursday. Come out and support!

Independent Film “Chapter & Verse” 
Film director Jamal Joseph, a former Black Panther 21 member tells a Harlem based story in relation to gang violence, family bonding, and survival. This flick caught my attention since I just finished reading Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow. Mr. Joseph’s story speaks prophetically to the “racial caste system” described in Alexander’s book.

In Joseph’s own words:
“I wanted to do a real human portrait of the third man,” he said. “I’m the third man in my family because I’ve been in prison. Beaty’s father and his older brother were the third, both of them have been to prison. Those are our sons, grandfathers, uncles. Harlem is like the unofficial Black capital of America. Wherever there’s a Black community you see the same things in terms of incarceration and trying to figure out how to keep our families together.”

Screenings of “Chapter & Verse” will be held Feb. 3 and Feb. 10 in Harlem, Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta in select theaters.


I AM MELROSE
Stay tuned for exciting updates about I AM MELROSE, a community/ arts festival slated for May 13th. The event, which will include honoring women leaders in our community, a celebration of local community gardens, an art exhibit by Bronx artists, musical presentations, and more, is presented by local community organizations in the Melrose section of the Bronx. More detailed information will be provided in the days ahead so mark your calendars!


Sunday, January 22, 2017

Hi all! Welcome to this week’s edition of YUCA Roots, where we share Bronx community updates on youth, art and politics.

This week’s updates –

2017 YUCA WINTER SEMESTER
YUCA's Winter Session begins this week on January 24th. There is still time for teenagers 15-19 to enroll … stop by to our studio on 754 Melrose Ave. Bronx NY 10451.The studio will be open from 10:00 am to 6:00pm each day Monday through Saturday; so even if you miss the first class, you can still come by to register. Check us out on Facebook to download our flyer or visit our website at yucaarts.org to download a registration form.

Also our Orientation for both parents and students will be held on Saturday January 28th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm (refreshments will be provided). We can't wait to see you there!! 






DISPLACEMENT EXHIBIT AT THE POINT 
Currently YUCA staff and Alumni are prepping to participate in Mi Casa es Mi Casa, an exhibition intended to highlight the changes and resistance of the many culturally rich communities throughout New York City that are facing displacement head on. Developers and investors are rescaping and rezoning our communities of the Bronx, East Harlem, Harlem, Red Hook, East New York, just to name a few. These changes are often done without the awareness and input of the members of these communities. The question is who are these changes for and does it benefit the indigenous people of these communities?  

The exhibition will take place on February 9, 2017 at
THE POINT CDC, 940 Garrison Avenue, Bronx NY 10474

This exhibition is curated by The House of Spoof Collective, led by the Point’s very own Alejandra Delfin.

LOCKED in SOLIDARITY
CCDA’s National Awareness and Action Day
On Mass Incarceration
FEBRUARY 9, 2017
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Join us and many others across the nation as we address the issue of mass incarceration. View the video “Remember the Prisoner”, bring together our prayers, lament, hope and stories in an effort to increase awareness of the impact incarceration is having in poor communities as well as support each other, as we seek to reverse its devastating effects. Know that the “racial cast system” this problem has created will be even more challenging to dismantle under the new administration. Come out and stand in solidarity with us on February 9th.

350 E. 146th St. Bronx, New York, 10451
Between 3rd. Ave. & College Ave.
Contact Rev. Dr. Patricia A. Sealy at 718.585.3636. 



Saturday, February 9, 2013


YUCA staff and students gather for a pose.

Some of you may be wondering what YUCA has been up to over the past year. Aside from our regular, weekly classes, we’ve been extremely busy providing art workshops to youth in a number of Bronx neighborhoods. Here is a recap of some of the events we launched, wonderful venues which gave our students an opportunity to show off their talents!
Schyler proudly points to his entry wearing
 a YUCA t-shirt saying Educate, Inspire, and Defend.

Last May YUCA took part in the second annual Highbridge Community Fair. Aside from helping to organize the event alongside the Public Library and various CBOs, YUCA collaborated with Bridge Builders, and focused most of its attention on sponsoring a citywide skateboard design contest. The event was a tremendous success! Youth from as far out as Brooklyn submitted skate decks; some pieces were elaborately hand painted, while others were less complicated designs. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes were awarded to the most outstanding entries, and no one walked away empty-handed. Certificates and YUCA T-shirts were handed out to all who participated. Local artists helped judge the competition. After the winning contestants were announced, there was much talk among those who were in attendance to hold the contest again this coming Spring. 

Sisters, Mina and Marybeth get busy painting the mural.
One of the most exciting YUCA venture to date has to be the mural project we initiated this past summer. Staff and students spent well over 10 weeks at a community garden in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx creating a 20’ x 30’ foot mural honoring local community activist Joe Perez. 
Mural at Bronx garden on 146th St & Willis Ave.
The idea was born out of a real need to honor one of our own, a community organizer who gave so much to the neighborhood he obviously loved. Joe played an instrumental role fighting for environmental justice in the South Bronx, not to mention advocating on behalf the city's youth. If it had something to do with righting wrongs, you’d find him in the front lines ready to lead the way. The mural was our small way of giving back to someone we came to respect, love, and admire. YUCA also felt the project would be a great way to connect with local residents by getting them involved in a worth while initiative, get more youth involved in YUCA art classes, and celebrate the community Joe spent most of his life fighting to protect. 

YUCA students and volunteers work side by side.
The mural also offered our students a chance to develop new skills. Youth spent a couple of weeks working with artisan Henry Peña who guided them on how to properly construct a wall; they got a kick out of using power tools to complete the wooden structure before the painting actually began. The remaining time was spent designing, sketching and painting the final piece. When it was all done, we invited many of Joe’s friends and family members to dedicate the mural and participate in a community wide, traditional style barbecue celebration. We even roasted a large pig!

Muralists take a break to re-energize and strike a pose!
The entire project would not have been possible without the tremendous support YUCA received from our partners. It was a collaboration involving Community Connections for Youth, Inc. (CCFY) and the New York Restorative Project (NYRP). In fact, it was through NYRP’s efforts, we were able to identify the Willis Avenue community garden as the location where the mural would eventually reside. Be sure to check out the mural once the garden reopens in May.

Talent show poster inviting the community to participate.
Tony Pantoja shares his poetry.
YUCA students receive certificates.
Another huge success was the “Mix on 146,” a multi-discipline, art talent show YUCA spearheaded last December. The event took place at the Mott Haven Reformed Church, thanks to Senior Pastor, Patricia Sealy who was super gung ho about the idea since its inception. She volunteered to allow area youth to use her church as the venue for showcasing the broad spectrum of talent. Musicians, Poets, Graphic Artists, Painters and Graf artists, all came out, performed, and lent their support to what turned out to be an all day extravaganza. In addition to the great performances, art vendors were permitted to sell their crafts, artists exhibited work, and plenty of food and refreshments were provided. We look forward to being able to have a similar event later in the year.
Youth were encouraged to share their art!

If you feel a bit left out, don’t despair! We currently have a YUCA workshop for you that is bound to get your artistic juices flowing … “Not Your Grandma’s Quilt” workshop got underway two weeks ago and has already drawn much praise form its participants. The workshop shows novice and expert quilters alike new ways of planning, designing, and constructing a contemporary quilt. 

But that’s not all … once designed, the quilt pieces will then be sent to Gandia, Spain to be constructed by Art I Mes club de Patchwork, a group of women quilters who come together each week and share their experiences with the community. Once these master craftspeople finish sewing the quilt, the piece will exhibit in Spain before heading back to the Bronx. YUCA staff members are already making arrangements with local galleries and museums about providing a venue for exhibiting the quilt once it arrives. So don't miss out on the fun ... get involved! For more information about participating in this project, please call 646.573.4461, or download an event flyer from our website at yucaarts.org. Interested students will be required to register for the class. Registration forms are also available on the website. Artists are also welcomed to participate.




Saturday, January 19, 2013

Two must see exhibits this month

YUCA is encouraging its students to start the new year right by taking in a couple of must see exhibits. The first is a local photo exhibit on display a few blocks away from where we had our talent show last December in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. “Sies del Sur”, opened today on Courtlandt Avenue and will be there until March 8th, 2013. It brilliantly showcases the talent of six Puerto Rican photographers who have been busy documenting the South Bronx for decades. The artists decided a group show was past due, and as a consequence birthed this collaboration. The photography captures a slice of Bronx life in a very intimate way, during a very tumultuous period in the Boro's history. We encourage everyone to make it a point to get to the gallery and see the world through the eyes of these talented artists before the show closes.


 The other show features three visual arts working in various mediums, painting, drawing, and sculpture. Earlier today, YUCA students and staff were able get into Manhattan, the Rush gallery on 26th street (Chelsea section of Manhattan) and listen in as the exhibiting artists engaged their audience in a panel discussion unpacking personal backgrounds and the motivation behind their work. It was standing room only but well worth the inconvenience. As the lead curator put it, the works are “exhibitions of visual interventions: pulsations of sorts that capture a deep nostalgia for home shared by some of the most moving artists of the black diaspora”. Try to get out there this week since this exhibit will show only through January 25th, 2013. 






Friday, January 18, 2013

YUCA online presence gets a facelift 2013

Be on the lookout for a overhaul of the YUCA website in 2013. The new site launches in late January. That's www.yucaarts.org ... check it out and tell us what you think. We're also making every effort to reach our community partners, educators, artists, and most importantly, our youth by developing and maintaining a stronger social media presence online. Help us out by checking out our Facebook fan page and liking us; and follow us on Twitter and share events of interest. You can also give us feedback on utube, and/or our website blogs. In turn, we'll keep you abreast of YUCA events, contests, and activities throughout the year, as well as invite you to collaborate with us in forthcoming community initiatives. Look forward to sharing a powerful and transformative year. All things are possible if you only believe!  

Saturday, May 28, 2011

YUCA Artists Celebrate Community Fair

More than 50 community organizations, political representatives, health care agencies, churches, and volunteer groups turned out Saturday for the Highbridge Community Fair. Organized by a  team of CBOs which included YUCA and the Highbridge Library Council, the Community Fair especially gave YUCA students, faculty, and staff a chance to let the Highbridge community know what our art program has to offer.
The well-prepared, YUCA artists arrived early, at 8:30 a.m. when the neighborhood was being cleared for the event. By doing so, they were able to set up their respective tables well before the event kick-off. YUCA youngsters were joined by other Bronx artists. A special shout out goes to artist Alejandra Delfin and her team of artists from the Point, a non-profit located in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx. Their participation added to the creative mix, making the event all the more special. 
All the artists did a phenomenal job of packaging and branding t-shirts, skateboard designs, paintings, crafts, etc. Some students actually set up tents and displays surrounding their tables,  a strategic move in order to attract passerbys. There were also plenty of giveaways handed out to local residents. Yankee ballcaps and t-shirts, books, and giftcards. Free food and refreshments were also provided.
Ximena Rua-Merkin, Senior Consultant at Community Resource Exchange, hopes to build on the momentum generated at the Community Fair. "I'd like to see community organizations come together in a possible networking breakfast where the planning of future joint community activities might be explored,'" she said. Her organization had staff members manning a table at the fair.
Most everyone in the Highbridge community were blown away with the wonderful activities. Residents said there was so much going on on every level. They loved the entertainment, provided by an extensive list of musicians, dancers, singers, and the Highbridge choir!
Kudos to the librarian at the Highbridge library, Margaret Fleesak who did a wonderful job of hosting most of the planning sessions, and providing space within the library for YUCA's electronic display. Thanks to those who attended for your unwavering support and participation!