Press Release: Pioneers of Bushwick exhibit

Hello, I'm excited to share press release information below about my upcoming exhibit and opening reception. Please come on by February 24th from 5-7pm and say hello!!


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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Contact - Center: N. Ruiz, 718-782-3601 | Artist: D. Saunders, das@PioneersOfBushwick.com, 646-808-6035

“PIONEERS OF BUSHWICK: WE CALL IT HOME”

A photography exhibit by Daryl-Ann Saunders

Feb. 23^rd through April 27^th 2012, M-F 9am-3pm

PUBLIC RECEPTION: Friday, Feb. 24^th from 5-7pm

For general public (incl. seniors & families, Pioneers of Bushwick participants, city agencies, media)

PRIVATE RECEPTION: Thursday, Feb. 23^rd from 1-2:30pm (begins promptly at 1pm)

For seniors, Pioneers of Bushwick participants and city agencies only

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Pioneers of Bushwick: We Call It Home is an exhibit featuring photographic portraits of long-time Bushwick residents by Daryl-Ann Saunders, presented at the Diana H. Jones Senior Center, located at 9 Noll Street between Bushwick Avenue and Stanwix Street in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY 11206.

Through Space for Art, a city art residency program matching artists to city senior centers with workspace, Daryl-Ann Saunders created a small “pop-up” photo studio at the center. There she began creating studio portraits and collecting written text of Bushwick residents that have lived in the neighborhood since the 1970s and still live in Bushwick today.  Many center members are included in this collaborative effort. 

The Bushwick-based artist explains, “Bushwick’s most difficult decades of the 1970s and 80s were marked by arson, crime, drugs and gang activity. The Pioneers of Bushwick project commemorates residents that persevered, raised families and contributed to a rich historical tapestry throughout those times and up to its current resurgence. Their contributions will now be in evidence within Bushwick history. As this artwork is viewed by community residents of varied ages and cultures, it is hoped it will stimulate dialogue, not just about Bushwick and its history, but also about aging, self-worth, human value and experience.”

Ms. Saunders is a professional and fine art photographer. Her images have been published worldwide, is exhibited regularly and held in the collections of Pfizer, Inc., General Electric as well as other collections, public and private. For more information about the artist and her projects, visit: www.DASfineart.com and www.PioneersOfBushwick.com.

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Project/ exhibit space, senior participation and staff support has been generously donated to the Pioneers of Bushwick project by Diana H. Jones Senior Center and their sponsor, RidgewoodBushwick Senior Citizens Council. The organization seeks to promote the well-being of community residents who are 60+ years of age through nutrition, recreation, social services and educational programs.

This exhibit is sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by the Brooklyn Arts Council, Inc.(BAC). The Space for Art program (now SPARC) was initiated by the Brooklyn Arts Council in partnership with New York City Department for the Aging and the Department of Cultural Affairs.                             

"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! :-))

Brooklyn Arts Council Grant!

I forgot to share some good news!
Every year, the Brooklyn Arts Council Community Arts Regrant Program funds Brooklyn-based artists and nonprofit organizations in the areas of visual arts, film and video, photography, craft, folk arts, dance, music, opera, theater, literature/writing, and multidisciplinary arts.

For the Pioneers of Bushwick project, I've been awarded a NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) grant. The amount is modest but, after working on the project for months, expenses add up and every bit helps toward eventual exhibition expenses and, hopefully, an exhibit catalog.

Follows is a link to the grantees list, alphabetical by first name. I'm listed about 1/2 way down:http://www.brooklynartscouncil.org/documents/1673

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.