The Bronx Council on the Arts (established 1962), is an art based culture agency that has grown to become the official cultural agency of

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

. It provides a “lifeline” to more than 4,800 artists and over 250 arts and community-based organizations.

History

The Bronx Council on the Arts was founded in the early 1960s when community leaders: Jerry Klot, Reverend William Kaladjian and others came together to provide summer arts & culture activities in the Bronx. In 1969 the Bronx Council on the arts merged with the Bronx Committee on the Arts and worked to improve access to the arts around the Bronx by introducing various programs around the Borough including the Bronx regrets program and the opening of the Bronx Museum of the Arts. As the Bronx Council on the Arts continued to grow they offered their programs at various galleries and venues located throughout

but lacked a central space. That changed in 2011 when Chase donated the former

Washington Mutual Washington Mutual (often abbreviated to WaMu) was the United States' largest savings and loan association until its collapse in 2008. A savings bank holding company is defined in United States Code: Title 12: Banks and Banking; Section 1842: D ...

Branch located at 2700 East Tremont Avenue to be used as their headquarters. Due to lack of funds, the group was unable to develop and utilize the space. In 2015 with support from Councilman James Vacca and Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr and other donors, they were was able to obtain the funds needed to renovate the building and utilize it as their central office and moved in during 2019.

Programs

The Bronx Council on the Arts runs several programs including: * Bronx Recognizes Its Own Award (BRIO), established 1989Adam Wisnieski "Bronx Recognizes its Own musicians, writers and artists," ''The Riverdale Press'' June 15, 2011 http://www.riverdalepress.com/stories/Bronx-Recognizes-its-Own-musicians-writers-and-artists,48753 Damon Beres "New leader of Bronx Council on the Arts showcases creative side of boro," Daily News July 13th 2009 http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/bronx/2009/07/12/2009-07-12_new_leader_of_bronx_arts_council_showcases_creative_side_of_boro.html to support Bronx based artists and performers. The number of recipients and amount each grantee received has varied over the years and recipients are expected to do community service for a local arts organization as part of the award. * Bronx Writers Center - creative writing and professional development workshops. The Bronx Memoir Project is one of its projects. * Longwood Art Gallery - hosted by Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture in the Hostos Community College campus. * The Bronx Cultural Trolley Arts and Culture Tour.

APPLAUSE Awards

In 2011 the Bronx Council on the Arts created the APPLAUSE award to recognize artists and leaders from the Bronx. The first recipients included Eva Bornstein, executive director of Lehman Center for the Performing Arts; Madaha Kinsey-Lamb, founder and executive director of Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center;

Holly Block Holly Block (December 24, 1958 – October 6, 2017) was an American museum and art gallery director. Biography Block was born on Christmas Eve 1958 in Princeton, New Jersey, and was named for the celebration's traditional flora. She grew up most ...

, executive director of the Bronx Museum of the Arts; Gail Nathan, executive director of the Bronx River Art Center; and Rosalba Rolón, artistic director of Pregones Theater.

Bronx Writers Center

In 1996, the Bronx Council on the Arts created the Bronx Writers Center as a means of fostering community and empowering writers. The program has grown into a yearly series of workshops located at various cultural venues across the Bronx and functions as not just a place for emerging writers to cultivate their skill but a place for writers to find creative mentors, network and work on professional development. Through collaboration with

PEN American Center PEN America (formerly PEN American Center), founded in 1922 and headquartered in New York City, is a nonprofit organization that works to defend and celebrate free expression in the United States and worldwide through the advancement of liter ...

and the Bronx Museum of the Arts participants have the opportunity to participate in

PEN World Voices The PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature is an annual week-long literary festival held in New York City and Los Angeles. The festival was founded by Salman Rushdie, Esther Allen, and Michael Roberts and was launched in 2005. The fes ...

literary festival. In 2013,

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led a weekly writing workshop at the Bronx Writing Center.

References

External links

official website
{{Authority control Art museums and galleries in the Bronx Culture of the Bronx Arts councils of the United States Arts organizations based in New York City Arts organizations established in 1962 1962 establishments in New York City Non-profit organizations based in the Bronx Westchester Square, Bronx