BLOCK PARTY
September 16, 2023
12-6 pm
Hi-ARTS
El Barrio’s Artspace PS109
215 E99TH ST.
NEW YORK, NY
We are kicking off our OPEN HOUSE with a BLOCK PARTY! Featuring a LIVE Acoustic Electric Set with Percussion set by CRITICAL BREAKS Alum Zane Rodulfo followed by a Work in Process of BRICKS by Charlene Jean, and will feature local vendors, artists, and much more— check out our full lineup below and register for all with one Day Pass!
Free and open to all!
BLOCK PARTY LINEUP
Mosaic Expressions: From Classroom to Cityscape Exhibition
12-6 pm
Mosaic Expressions: From Classroom to Cityscape is an interactive exhibition that showcases the remarkable journey of a group of students who, under the mentorship of a talented teaching artist Carlos Jesus Martinez Dominguez, have ventured beyond the conventional boundaries of art.
The exhibit's central focus is a striking mural that serves as a collective masterpiece, a vibrant tapestry of creativity, and the crowning achievement of the students' artistic endeavors. Spanning an entire wall, the mural pulsates with energy, showcasing an eclectic mix of styles, techniques, and individual voices coming together to form a cohesive and awe-inspiring narrative. Interactivity is a key element of the exhibition, inviting visitors to try their hand at tagging the wall during their visit.
by CRITICAL BREAKS ARTIST Alum Zane Rodulfo
1- 2 pm
LIVE Electro Acoustic Set with Percussion
Experience a curated fusion of rhythms rooted in Jazz, Hip-Hop, R&B, Afro-Caribbean, and Contemporary Electronic Music by CRITICAL BREAKS Alum Zane Rodulfo. This Live set will usher in an atmosphere of dancing, celebration, and unity — setting the stage for an unforgettable day of community and artistic expression.
Note: Included with Block Party Registration.
Work In Process | BRICKS: A 20-YEAR MUSIC TOUR OF RETROACTIVE-REPARATIONS
by CRITICAL BREAKS ARTIST Charlene Jean
3-4 pm
Experience the work of CRITICAL BREAKS Artist in Residence Charlene Jean. BRICKS engages audiences with an archival inspired work that details the history-repeating shared injustice of “buried” towns. BRICKS considers the broken promises of gentrification and reimagines the biblical story of Jericho as a communicable work strike to alleviate shared suffering, particularly of our Black ancestors and our Unhoused.
Note: All those who register for the Block Party are invited to attend BRICKS and will be registered and checked-in at the door when the house opens. Or you can register ahead of time here.
4- 4:45 pm
Choreo Co-lab Info Session
Facilitated by Hi-ARTS Program Manager Joyous Pierce and Program Associate Robyn Ayers, learn more about our new program Choreo Co-Lab. This information session will provide details on our new Choreo Co-Lab program, how to be involved, and invite you to participate in our upcoming Movements of the Diaspora Masterclass Series, taking place later this month as a part of OPEN HOUSE.
Note: Included with Block Party Registration.
Artist Residency Info Session
5-5:45 pm
Are you interested in becoming a CRITICAL BREAKS or SKY LAB Artist at Hi-ARTS? Join our Artist Residency Info Session to learn more about both of these residency programs, the application process, and best submission practices. Bring your questions and curiosities! Facilitated by Program Manager Joyous Pierce and Program Associate Robyn Ayers.
Note: Included with Block Party Registration.
Featured Artists
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Charlene Jean (they/them) is the creator, librettist, and book writer of BRICKS, the playwright of SHIT IN THE BLOOD: A BIOMYTHOGRAPHY OF RECIPES (co-devised with Bryanna Bradley and Courtney Bryan Devon), and screenwriter of KING AFUA.
Charlene is a New Georges JAMmer, an associated artist with Engarde Arts via multiyear dramaturgy and production support, and the inaugural host of the 651 Arts/Billie Holiday Theatre's Song Salon series.
As a dramaturg: Nia Calloway's Home/Body: A Ritual Party at HERE Arts, 2023; UGBA (Ungrateful Black Artist’s) Dark Skin Support Group at the Public Theatre’s Emerging Writers Group, Alexander Perez’s The Bad In Each Other at Playwrights Horizons, Matthew Keaton’s 7 Actors, 1 Room, Camille Thomas’s, At God’s Back at Playwrights Horizons.
Charlene is a 2022 MAP Grant Fund awardee, 2023 New Georges Audrey Resident; 2023/2024 Creative Capital WILD FUTURES finalist; and a 2023 finalist for: Jonathan Larson Grant, Van Lier New Voices, Richard Rodgers Award, O'Neill National Musical Theatre Conference finalist, and NYSAF Founders Award, with multidisciplinary works presented at SigSpace, Weeksville Heritage Center, Manhattan School of Music, Hi-Arts, and JACK Arts Radical Acts Festival. Charlene is a member of the inaugural class of O|Sessions (Obsidian Magazine, Poetry Foundation), where they studied Black Listening.
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Adorned In Taji creates adornments that enhance your personal power, aid your Spirit in manifesting your intentions, and supply you with healing, altar, and ritual tools to live your best life.
Their pieces are intuitively designed and carefully handcrafted with nature’s raw materials, including ethical gemstones, cowrie, metals, and wood, while their supplies are sustainably sourced from mostly family-run businesses around the globe.
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We create specialized products for both health and beauty. Our most prominent product is FRUIT Detoxx, an all natural fruit and vegetable wash which safely and effectively reduces surface dirt, wax and pesticides from fresh produce. Our top grossing product however is our Organic Body Butter.
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Trinidadian polymedia artist and Hi-ARTS CRITICAL BREAKS Alum Zane Rodulfo will immerse us in a tapestry of sight and sound in an electric and energizing live music experience that will transcend genres and captivate the soul. Zane’s publicly engaged work addresses decolonization at the intersection of traditional and contemporary music. He performs and composes with electro-acoustic instruments, videos, and found/repurposed instruments.
OPEN HOUSE audiences will experience a curated fusion of rhythms rooted in Jazz, Hip-Hop, R&B, Afro-Caribbean and Contemporary Electronic Music and will usher in an atmosphere of dancing, celebration and unity — setting the stage for an unforgettable day of community and artistic expression.
Zane has partnered with and been commissioned by the Guggenheim Museum, Harlem Arts Alliance and Brooklyn Arts Council and more. His composition Around the Circle, commissioned by Guggenheim Museum, was part of the 2021-22 "Vasily Kandinsky: Around the Circle" exhibition.
Vendors
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True to Us is an online platform for Black and Brown women looking to be seen and heard in the streetwear and sneaker industry. While holding space for people online, we bring URL to IRL through our community events and clothing.
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Photography. Branding / Identity. Illustration.
My “Focus” is in Photography, Branding/Design, Illustration (Specializing in Satabu/Mwenaa), and Systems building. All in all, I am a positioning specialist. I make sure people are properly equipped with the looks, tools, and exposure to help them achieve desired outcomes. In addition to being a full ride Drexel University Engineering Scholar, I have traversed the fields of Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Communications, ultimately focusing on and obtaining my Bachelor’s of Science in Graphic Design from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Above all, I love to get to know new people and am looking to meet you and the project you’ve been hesitant on creating for so long.