BXN Radio - EP 06: Nick Mezansky
Written by Dondre Green / Design by Hoay Smith
For our sixth episode we talked with Nick Mezansky, Marketing Coordinator of the Bronx Brewery.
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Bronx Narratives Limited Edition Magazine Release at the Gun Hill Tavern
We opened up the year by releasing our first ever limited edition print magazine. We'd like to thank everyone who came out to support. From our contributors to those who were newly acquainted with us that evening. We were reminded of the wonderful community that's behind us and will continue the annual releases.
BXN Radio - EP 05: Tricia Smith
Written by Dondre Green / Design by Hoay Smith
For our fifth episode we talked with Tricia Smith, Founder of ArtSmith.
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BXN Radio - EP 04: Gary Axelbank
Written by Dondre Green / Design by Hoay Smith
For our fourth episode we talked with Gary Axelbank, TV host of Bronx Talk and The Bronx Buzz on BronxNet.
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BXN Radio - EP 03: Andre Trenier
Written by Dondre Green / Design by Hoay Smith
For our third episode we talked with Andre Trenier, Artist & Muralist.
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Neighborhood Tales (Episode 05): Holly Leicht
Q+A by Dondre Green / Video by Kevin De Los Santos
We return with a new season of Neighborhood Tales featuring Spuyten Duyvil resident, Holly Leicht.
Neighborhood Tales: A new editorial series that'll highlight the diversity of Bronx neighborhoods and help provide a visual identity, with stories told by the people who live there.
BXN Radio - EP 02: Felicia Forbes
Written by Dondre Green / Design by Hoay Smith
For our second episode we talked with Felicia Forbes, the CEO & Founder of Freckle's Juice Bar, located at 3828 Dyre Ave.
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Introducing BXN Radio
Written by Dondre Green / Design by Hoay Smith
This has been a work in progress for quite some time. We took time to really develop a podcast with structure and one that all listeners could walk away with additional information than they had before. Alongside me, team members, Hoay and Kayla help bring their flavors to the show.
We hope to continue this monthly, highlighting more Bronx individuals doing things around our borough. If you'd like to give us some feedback or even want us to answer a question on-air, feel free to shoot us an email at info@bronxnarratives.com
In the meantime, enjoy episode one.
Bronx Brewery Launches Beer For A Good Cause
Written by Kayla Smith / Photos by Dondre Green, Hector Santos and Hoay Smith
August 9th was an evening of celebration for The Bronx Brewery as they launched their newest creation, Bronx Banner, a golden easy ale created to be “the perfect brew for those who embody the hard work mindset.” Over 200 Bronx influencers were invited to commemorate the release and acknowledge those that continue to make stuff happen in the Bronx.
Ghetto Gastro, the four man culinary crew, provided the victuals for the event. The team – comprised of Jon Gray, Malcolm Livingston II, Lester Walker and Pierre Serrao – specialize in gourmet cuisine with an Uptown twist. Legendary MC Lord Finesse kept the crowd moving with a mix of musical selections from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. The ambiance fostered the kind of camaraderie at a backyard BBQ elevated by visual artist André Trenier’s live mural painting.
“I really enjoyed the food, the DJ, and seeing so many of the Bronx artists I know and follow on social media… if you can have a space where so many different groups can gather, it’s a good thing.”
Inside the brewery were representatives from Bronx Museum and New York Restoration Project (NYRP), a non-profit committed to transforming greener, more sustainable spaces in under-resourced communities. Their current initiative, the Haven Project, is a plan to revitalize Mott Haven waterfront, provide green spaces in Port Morris and to improve the wellbeing of residents in these South Bronx communities. In support of the initiative, The Bronx Brewery is donating five percent of the proceeds from each case of Bronx Banner sold to NYRP; the ale will be available for purchase at the Brewery starting Monday.
The evening ended in dancing and laughter, the type of community spirit the Bronx Brewery hoped to foster while planning the event. Portrait and Street Photographer, Michael Young, had this to say about the event, “I really enjoyed the food, the DJ, and seeing so many of the Bronx artists I know and follow on social media… if you can have a space where so many different groups can gather, it’s a good thing.”
Visit the Bronx Brewery at 856 E 136th St, Bronx, NY 10454 or www.thebronxbrewery.com
Arts Oasis in the Northeast Bronx
Written by Kayla Smith / Photos by Dondre Green
My earliest memories of Mind Builders Creative Arts Center are from my late teens. I remember passing the building on my way to a friends house wondering what it was like inside. Residing off of Gun Hill Road and White Plains Road, it wasn’t until recently that I visited the building (now newly renovated) to take a tour and meet with Founder and Executive Director, Madaha Kinsey-Lamb, to talk about the center’s history and mission.
“One day we’ll wake up and discover we are family,” reads a quote by social activist Archbishop Desmond Tutu featured on the picturesque mural that welcomes every visitor. That message of community isn’t just painted on the walls, it’s carried through every classroom by the teachers, students and staff. It has been an integral piece of the Mind Builders brand for almost 40 years.
Mind Builder’s journey began in 1978 with Kinsey-Lamb’s desire to create accessible opportunities for quality arts and culture programs for her daughter and other families in The Bronx. The former public school teacher had always thought about starting an independent academic school that included the Arts, but realizing the need for the Arts in the North Bronx, her dream soon transformed into a nonprofit that would focus primarily on Arts Education. Kinsey-Lamb gained experience working as the education director for a nonprofit in the late 70’s and, with the aid of a colleague and friend, she began laying the groundwork for Mind Builders.
“It’s about developing responsibility in students, building leadership and the awareness of the tremendous power we have.”
Kinsey-Lamb hired one dance instructor to teach the inaugural class of 45 students. They started meeting in the basement of a local church, and within three months they had a waiting list of almost 100 students. Once the list increased to 300, Kinsey-Lamb began to look for a facility that would meet the growing demand. In 1984, the building on Olinville Avenue was purchased. The building, which was formerly a Yeshiva, was now the burial ground of many dead animals. It had been stripped down, broken and burned. It took three years of renovating before they could occupy the building in 1987 and more than 20 years to complete the latest project. In 2014 a $9 million renovation infused the arts center with new life. Now the four-level state of the art building accommodates 600 students weekly, mainly youth, from The Bronx and the New York metropolitan area.
While the arts center focuses on creative expression, one of its foremost aims is youth development. Mind Builder’s fosters leadership skills, social responsibility, cultural appreciation and self esteem through its music and dance curriculum. It’s not unusual for students to discuss current events or topics such as the Black Lives Matter movement, marriage equality, gay pride, immigration issues, and police brutality. “It’s about developing responsibility in students, building leadership and the awareness of the tremendous power we have,” Kinsey-Lamb says. “We want to motivate students in an environment that is nurturing, challenging, and exciting. Warm yet hardworking, rigorous yet fun.”
Kinsey-Lamb attributes her deep-seated passion for family oriented learning to growing up in “a time of knowing our power and seeing what we had the power to do when we got together.” It was a time when debates on black issues and notable figures like Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Olatunji and James Baldwin, were common dinner time talk.
Kinsey-Lamb has even implemented a work exchange program at Mind Builders where parents can work at the center in exchange for free classes. “Little did we know when we started work exchange the benefit that would have. Parents are working right alongside us and when they come up with ideas they lead them. It created such tremendous ownership,” states Kinsey-Lamb. She plans to further its accessibility to the community by using the facility’s cafe to host various family friendly programs and to provide a space where people can meet and grab healthy food items.
Mind Builders will be having an Open House and Street Festival this coming September where people will be able to tour the building, sample the classes, and enjoy various performances.
For more information about how Mind Builders is impacting The Bronx or on how to volunteer there, visit www.mind-builders.org. Better yet, visit the building!