1st Opening Reception | DNAinfo.com Article

"Since they arrived in Bushwick from Puerto Rico more than five decades ago, 61-year-old Aida Irizarry and her 80-year-old mother, Blanca, have watched the neighborhood evolve".

So begins "Photographer Captures Pioneers of Bushwick's Past", Meredith Hoffman's February feature article on DNAinfo.com about the Pioneers Of Bushwick: We Call It Home exhibit at Diana Jones Senior Center. I give Meredith my sincere thanks for her persistence. I was a pain to get hold of several days before the exhibit - on the run with final preparations.

Me and Narcisa Ruiz (Center Director) with some of the "Pioneers of Bushwick"

(l to r) Avellar G. Hansley, artist Daryl-Ann Saunders (rear), Linda McKinley, Center Director Narcisa Ruiz (rear), Aida Irizarry, Robert Camacho (rear), Blanca Irizarry, Ana Nieves (rear), and Elizabeth Colon. Out of view on the right: Jose Colon, Lucy Mendez, and Angel Mendez

Photo by Meredith Hoffman, DNAinfo.com

We had two receptions for the exhibit - - a private one for Center members and then one the next day for the public. As guests of honor, the "Pioneer" participants were invited to both.The afternoon event was nicely packed, representatives from the sponsoring organizations attended and spirits were high.

Narcisa Ruiz, the Center's Director, launched the event with a rousing introduction about the project and the Center's growing positive role within the community. After that, we were delighted to present each "Pioneer" in attendance with a Certificate of Recognition.

Thank you to all the Pioneers that attended, the representatives from Brooklyn Arts Council (Ethany Uttech), the NYC Department for the Aging (Gail Evans), Ridgewood-Bushwick Senior Citizens Council and Diana Jones Center staff (Sandra Christian, Arlene Suero, LuLu) for contributing to a great afternoon. And plenty of food! More to come in the next post about the evening reception.

The exhibit is open to the general public and can be viewed M-F 8am-3pm through April 27th at Diana Jones Center, 9 Noll Street (corner of Bushwick Avenue) in Brooklyn, NY. It's easy by subway - - the J/ M/ Z to Myrtle Avenue at Broadway and then a 4 block walk. Links to additional info and directions are under "PAGES", the section at the top of the right menu. Stop by and don't forget to sign the guest book! Enter your e-mail on the upper right of this page to receive periodic blog updates.

"Pioneers of Bushwick" in NY Post

Photo by Paul Martinka

My ongoing photography project, Pioneers of Bushwick, was featured in a NY Post article today.

I've been working on "POB" (Pioneers of Bushwick) for approximately a year as part of the NYC Space for Art program (now known as SPARC). I am creating portraits of long-time Bushwick residents at the Diana Jones Senior Center and will be pairing them with text they have written. These residents grew up and/or raised families in Bushwick during its most volatile decades. Their faces and stories create a rich, historical tapestry of an area in Brooklyn that is now experiencing new resurgence.

I'll be sending out periodic updates and/ or exhibition invites for the project. If you'd like to be on the mail list, please type your e-mail address in the "Follow By E-mail" field (to the right). Also click on the "like" button on the Pioneers of Bushwick Facebook page. Thank you!

The project continues so if you know anyone currently living in Bushwick since the 1970s, please put me in contact with them or have them reach me through this blog. (By the way, they don't have to be seniors).

Every article provides visibility and credibility for the project so I'm grateful. It really comes in handy when approaching residents to participate. Thank you to Diana Jones Senior Center, Narcisa Ruiz-Secchiano, Arlene Suero, Kathleen Christie, Kristin Sakoda and Danai Pointer for their project belief and to Jeremy Olshan and Paul Martinka for the write-up and photography.

(I see one typo in the article that I must comment on. Where it reads "old", I actually said "older". I would never refer to myself as old. ha! :-))

Photo studio at Diana Jones Senior Center in Bushwick, Brooklyn

Through a proposal to the Brooklyn Arts Council's Space for Art* program last year, I was selected for a visiting artist residency at the Diana Jones Senior Center in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The Center director, Narcisa Ruiz-Secchiano, generously contributed space there for me to work on "Pioneers of Bushwick" - a photography and text project honoring residents living in Bushwick from 1975 or before.

Here is a photo of the temporary studio setup - wonderful! So the project is up and running. If you are interested in participating or know any possible candidates (people OR businesses in Bushwick since 1975), I'd greatly appreciate hearing from you as soon as possible. E-mail me at das@PioneersOfBushwick.com. Thank you!

*Space for Art is a collaborative project initiated by the Brooklyn Arts Council in partnership with NYC's Department for the Aging (DFTA), Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), representative agencies from each of the five boroughs and the Mayor's office. The program gives working artists studio space in senior centers throughout New York City in exchange for artist projects and activities that enrich the lives of seniors and community members.