
Ronny Quevedo and Higher Sails artists work on their designs for La Morada. Image courtesy RAVA Films.
This event is free and open to the public, but space is limited! Please RSVP to rsvp@abladeofgrass.org.
Join A Blade of Grass and BronxArtSpace for a conversation on the different ways artists and cultural anchors create the Bronx’s physical and social community gathering spaces in our ever changing city.
- Why is it important to root your art practice in the Bronx—how does it inspire you, and how do you give back to it?
- Does your creative work honor and build upon the legacy of Bronx cultural workers that came before you? How?
- How do you see the cultural ecosystems of the Bronx, and how do you choose to operate within them?
Light refreshments from La Morada will be provided.
About the Presenters:
Ronny Quevedo’s artistic practice is an examination of the vernacular languages and aesthetic forms generated by displacement, migration, and resilience. Inspired by his own family history and migration from Ecuador to the Bronx, Quevedo skillfully transcribes graphics of locality, community, and remembered environments directly into his work. This process often results in imagery that serves simultaneously as an homage to the narratives of historically marginalized peoples, and a platform for dialogue and community engagement on continued practices of marginalization. Quevedo’s Higher Sails project was supported by an A Blade of Grass Fellowship for Socially Engaged Art in 2017.
Danielle Jackson has worked with leading photographers, filmmakers, and cultural institutions to develop projects, partnerships, and initiatives for social impact. She is a fellow-in-residence at NYU’s Center for Experimental Humanities and the co-founder and former co-director of the Bronx Documentary Center. She is on the faculty at Stanford in New York and at the International Center of Photography.
Blanka Amezkua is a Mexican-born, bicultural (Mexico/USA) mestiza artist, cultural promoter, educator and project initiator. Formally trained as a painter, her practice is greatly influenced and informed by folk art and popular culture. She currently runs AAA3A (Alexander Avenue Apartment 3A), an alternative art space in the living room of her home in Mott Haven, South Bronx.
BronxArtSpace is a non-profit gallery that promotes the innovative ideas of underrepresented and emerging artists and curators. Started in 2008 by Linda Cunningham and Mitsu Hadeishi, BronxArtSpace is dedicated to exhibiting the highest quality artwork from the Bronx and around the world. BAS’s mission is to foster dialogue around the contemporary local, national and global issues while advancing local arts education and opportunities.