BxArts Factory's Block pARTy
Help us bring the BxArts Factory Block pARTy to the South Bronx! It will be a day filled with fun activities, including live art, music, poetry and much more for the whole family!
Leader
Laura Alvarez
Location
240 E. 153rd Street Bronx, NY 10451
About the project
This year, BxArts Factory wants to create the biggest Block pARTy yet! Our goal is to support 10 local artists with a stipend for their participation in our Block pARTy. Artists and volunteers will engage community members in activities such as live painting, face painting, music and arts and crafts. We are also partnering with other Bronx organizations like Bronx Bound Books, Bronx Sole, Bronx Femme Run, Her Village, etc., to bring artists and community together in a day filled with creativity and movement.
Since 2019, the Melrose community has been our home. During our first block party that same year, we provided financial support to seven artists to activate the block with live painting. The event also incorporated other creative activities sponsored by local community organizations and businesses. For example, Bronx Bound Books participated with a wonderful book give-away and Bronx Sole brought in Double Dutch. We had a spoken word open mic and many other activities celebrating art and community. In 2020, we coordinated a virtual block party to stay connected to our friends and neighbors and in 2022, we hosted a small, in-person event to help our community emerge from the pandemic. This year, we are ready for a comeback! We want to gather on a larger scale to celebrate our neighborhood and welcome locals to our space once again.
The Steps
Finished: permit application(s)
June: Contact artists, DJ, other local organizations and businesses in the area.
June: Create flyers and start promoting with a "Save the date" in Social Media, newsletters and website.
July: Outreach, call for volunteers and confirm the final line up.
August: Press release, more outreach and party!
Why we‘re doing it
At BxArts Factory we are committed to supporting local artists and art projects focused on making art accessible to communities in the Bronx and using art to address social and economic inequities in the Bronx. We connect Bronx-based artist and community, in experiences, events and opportunities for learning, community development and healing. This event is the epitome of what we believe and it is really needed in the South Bronx, where there are few opportunities for the neighborhood to come together in creativity and harmony.