LIFTING H.E.ARTS: THE PRESENT, THE FUTURE AND THE FOUNDATION

LIFTING H.E.ARTS: THE PRESENT, THE FUTURE AND THE FOUNDATION

LIVE Artist Talk and Closing Reception

349 E 140th Street | The Bronx, NY 10451

Saturday, September 7, 2019 from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM (EDT)

Join us on Saturday, September 7, for a celebration of art and activism in “Lifting H.E.ARTS: the Present, the Future and the Foundation.”

Commencing with a plenero-led procession from Brook Park to the old Lincoln Detox Center, the event will feature a mural unveiling, an update on our community land trust’s acquisition efforts and a film screening – all focused on one culturally vital building – and at an important moment in time on the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Young Lords. With complimentary food and music and intersecting themes of community-led solutions in health, education, the arts, criminal justice, environmental justice and immigration, the event will include:

5:30 pm. RUMBA PROCESSION | BROOK PARK TO OLD LINCOLN DETOX/H.E.ARTS BUILDING AT WILLIS AVENUE PLAYGROUND

At 5:30 pm, Pregones Theater- and Nos Quedamos- organized Stage Garden Rumba at Brook Park (East 141st St and Brook Ave) will lead a plenero-driven procession from Brook Park to the old Lincoln Detox Center/H.E.ARTS building at 345 East 140th Street where an event will already be underway to unveil the mural “We Have a Story to Tell.”

6:00 pm. MURAL UNVEILING | “WE HAVE A STORY TO TELL”

Hear local artist, Virginia Ayress, discuss seeing children being separated from their parents as the inspiration behind her newly completed mural, “We Have a Story to Tell..” The mural, created and painted by Ayress with the Experimental Art Workshop and volunteers from the community, aims to express the experience of immigrant children and their broken dreams.

6:30 pm. H.E.ARTS UPDATE

Hear Mychal Johnson, Member of the Board of Directors of the Mott Haven-Port Morris Community Land Stewards and Co-founder of South Bronx Unite, discuss the status of the local community land trust’s efforts to repair and restore the vacant old Lincoln Detox Center building and house nearly a dozen community-based organizations working in the fields of health (H), education (E) and the arts (ARTs) in a retrofitted space with offices, shared meeting areas, a culinary arts kitchen, classrooms and performance spaces. A full feasibility report has now been completed, documenting a fully baked, economically sustainable plan reflective of nearly five years of broad-based community envisioning sessions and extensive community based organization interviews.

7:00 pm. THE PEOPLE’S DETOX | FILM SCREENING

Hear Walter Bosque, former Young Lord, Licensed Acupuncturist and Co-founder of Lincoln Detox (1970-1978), introduce the film “The People’s Detox” to be screened in the handball court across the street from the building. In November 1970, Lincoln Hospital was taken over through the collective organizing of local heroin addicts, revolutionary health organizations, the Young Lords, members of the Black Panther Party as well as other organizations. Through political education, the clinic examined the role of global politics in the influx of heroin into urban centers as well as the economic incentives of the established protocols for drug treatment. With the introduction of acupuncture as an aid in detoxification, eventually replacing pharmaceutical treatments, it was not only the walls of the hospital that were breached but the very apparatus of addiction and recovery. “The People’s Detox” is a contemplative look at how the history of a revolutionary drug clinic reverberates through to contemporary notions of health and care. The film was directed by Jenna Bliss.

With support from the Nathan Cummings Foundation and part of the public events of Pasado Y Presente: Art after the Young Lords 1969-2019 produced by Loisaida Center. This event is in partnership with Pregones Theater, Nos Quedamos, South Bronx Unite, Mott Haven Community Land Stewards, and Taller Experimental de Arte. To set up an appointment to visit the Nathan Cummings Foundation exhibit, contact exhibits@nathancummings.org

“Opinions like those expressed while in a panel, presentation, performance or through artwork are expressed by the author in their personal capacity and are the author’s own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of Loisaida Inc., its affiliates or staff.”