ART FOR CHANGE presents
HACIA AFUERA
Taking Back Our Streets Through the Arts!
August 28 & 29 (Sat-Sun), 12-5pm
105 St & Lexington Ave
FREE Outdoor Art & Music Festival
(rain or shine)
ART FOR CHANGE presents Hacia Afuera, a weekend-long festival celebrating art, music, food, and performance. The festival will take place in Spanish Harlem’s streets and public community spaces and is being produced in partnership with local artists and social justice organizations.
Outdoor Art Exhibition featuring art by
Patricia Cazorla & Nancy Saleme, Esperanza Cortes, Aissa Deebi, Roberto De Jesus, Laura F. Gibellini, Marissa A. Gutiérrez-Vicario, Alejandro Endoke Makuendo Guzman, Gabriel Pacheco, Tara Parsons, Michael Pribich, Elisa Pritzker, Gabriel Reese
Live Performance by
Camila Meza Trio, Genesis Be, George Trivino, La Bruja, Los Mas Valientes, The Stepkids, Los Chamanes
PLUS Storytelling by Bobby Gonzalez, Live Theater by Coatlicue Theater Company, Arts and Crafts for kids, Film Screenings, Drumming Workshop and food from local street vendors.
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While New York City, East Harlem in particular, offers one of the most diverse populations in the United States, immigrants here still suffer from a stalled and dysfunctional immigration system rife with injustice and inefficiency. With little action being taken in Washington and an ever-alarming escalation of anti-immigrant sentiment, Art for Change will launch an immigration campaign at its third annual public arts festival. The goal of the campaign and the festival is to increase awareness of the plight of immigrants while redirecting the current rhetoric of criminalization. Although a serious theme, the festival offers a mix of both engaging and lighthearted programming for people of all ages. “We’ve got an amazing line up of art and music, as well as workshops for kids and adults, all drawn together by a group of energized volunteers ready to take it to the streets!” says Art for Change Executive Director Lori Noll.
Hacia Afuera (“to go outside”) will take place in East Harlem’s streets and public community spaces on August 28th and 29th from 12-5pm. The main location for the event is the White Playground located at 105th Street, between 3rd and Lexington Avenues. It will showcase a group exhibition of 13 international and national artists throughout El Barrio’s playgrounds and gardens including works by Patricia Cazorla, Esperanza Cortes, Aissa H. Deebi, Roberto De Jesus, Laura F. Gibellini, Marissa A. Gutiérrez-Vicario, Alejandro Endoke Makuendo Guzman, Gabriel Pacheco, Tara Parsons, Michael Pribich, Elisa Pritzker, Gabriel Reese, and Nancy Saleme. Through drawings, sculptures, and interactive, site-specific installations, the artists explore the historical and contemporary narratives within immigration including: acculturation; gentrification; economic inequality, discrimination and racism; the “culture of exile” and the plight of refugees; immigration policies, regulations and reform as well as the controversial roles played by politicians, activist groups, and privatized media.
By engaging artists as a voice for social justice, the exhibition hopes to both challenge and inspire individuals and families, as well local communities and governments to work together towards fair and ethical immigration reform.
Complementing the visual arts, live performances will infuse the streets and playground with the musical rhythms and spoken words of local artists Camila Meza Trio, Genesis Be, George Trivino, La Bruja, Los Mas Valientes, The Stepkids, and Los Chamanes.
To extend its reach, Hacia Afuera will also be holding an event downtown on Saturday August 28th, 6pm, at the Nuyorican Poets’ Cafe featuring DJ BlackTyAffair, an encore performance by spoken word artist La Bruja, and soul stirring Latin Folk and Nueva Cancion by Los Chamanes. With hacia afuera downtown, Art for Change is proud to kick off a great new partnership with the Nuyorican Café, in service of our common mission to create a forum for under-represented artists and bring innovative and inclusive art and performances to our communities.
The festival will also present personal and collective performative accounts of the immigrant experience and life in East Harlem with storytelling by Bobby Gonzalez and live theater by the Coatlicue Theater Company. Film screenings on the immigrant experience will take place at the AfC Gallery (to be confirmed). Arts workshops for kids range from painting and sculpture, to scrapbooking and knitting, as well as a Flamenco workshop for all interested!
Finally, no street festival would be complete without good food and affordable art. In support of the largely immigrant populations that work as street vendors, Hacia Afuera will have a few Street Vendor Project’s vendors bring New Yorkers the best street food in town. Also, in contrast to recent enforcement of a cap on street art vendors in city parks, Hacia Afuera has welcomed vendors to come and share their talents with the community in East Harlem.
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About the Artists:
DJ BlackTyAffair: Born and raised in Queens during the golden age of Hip-Hop, Black Ty Affair has always had a certain love affair with music. ” I couldn’t escape its’ clutches, I had to have it on when we cleaned the house Saturday morning, getting dressed for school. It was so serious my mother would confiscate tapes and records for punishment when I stepped out of line”.
For some time, his dream to become a part of the music industry and assist in giving people the same joy he received from music-was put on hold. Fortunately, he had a divine revelation that made it clear to him that this is the path that he was created to not only walk down, but thrive on while doing so! Since, it has been sky’s the limit for Black Ty Affair. He has been a part of dozens of Hip-Hop and R&B projects as a producer/consultant. Additionally, he has DJ’d at many notable establishments in the city such as Sin Sin, White Slab, and Avenue B. His sets are the perfect blend of what you want to hear and what you need to hear. Enjoy.
La Bruja is Bronx-born poet/actor/activist and is considered one of America’s leading spoken word artists. She is a renaissance woman; The New York Times called her “a juggernaut” after a sold out run of her musical Boogie Rican Blvd. Her music has crossed over internationally. Her debut album “Brujalicious” can be found on iTunes, the hit “Keep It Movin’ Like” ranked in the top 100 in Germany and London for over a year. Known for her captivating performance on Russell Simmons’ HBO Def Poetry Jam, she continues to use her power of word to create positive change in the lives of countless inner-city youth.
Los Chamanes is a band from New York, formed of six Chilean and one Puerto Rican member. Their music is a fusion rooted in Latin-American folklore and Nueva Cancion, with flavors of blues, jazz and rock. Finding their inspiration in the traditional healers of the world’s tribes, they offer their music as an elixir for the soul. Los Chamanes have taken an active roll in expressing discomfort regarding social injustice and are writing lyrics related to their personal experiences as immigrants and part of the working class. They hope to guide their listeners to talk about subjects of conflicts of the human race in general, such as the growing inequality of the world economy and protecting our Planet Earth. Los Chamanes recognize the healing magic of music and believe in its power to inspire. Please visit the artist at: www.loschamanes.net
About the Presenters:
The Nuyorican Poets Cafe is celebrating 37 years as a home for groundbreaking works of poetry, music, theater, and visual arts. A multicultural and multi-arts institution, the Nuyorican opens its arms to audiences and artists of all backgrounds. We are embarking on a capital campaign to transform the upper three floors of our building on East 3rd Street into a new performance space, plus classrooms and a multimedia arts lab. To find out more about how to get involved as a donor, sponsor, volunteer, artist, or audience member, visit www.nuyorican.org or contact us at info@nuyorican.org. The Nuyorican Poets Cafe is located at 236 E. 3rd St. between Avenue B and Avenue C.
Art for Change is a 501(c3) non-profit organization that creates innovative art and media programs that inspire people to take an active role in social justice. By merging art and community, AfC provides a space to explore social issues and celebrate the richness of cultural diversity.
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Hacia Afuera is made possible with support by Mount Sinai Hospital, Community Board 11, NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, Hope Community Inc, Nuyorican Poets Cafe and Taller Boricua. The programs of Art for Change are supported by The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Association of Hispanic Arts, Council member Melissa Mark Viverito, Materials for the Arts, the AFC founders collective and by a group of committed volunteers.
