Lehman Center for the Performing Arts Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

  The home of Music and Arts some call the Lincoln Center of the Bronx, the Lehman College Center for the Performing Arts has finished its $15.4 million dollar renovation. Thursday was the ribbion cutting ceremony that added over five thousand square feet of new space, and solved the problem of the center not being ADA accessible. 

Hundreds of people were on hand to see the new facade of the center, hear from those at Lehman College, and be able to tour the revamped Lehman College Center for the Performing Arts building.

While several elected officials were on hand, City Council members Andrew Cohen and Andy King provided New York City Funding. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. was the only elected official to speak.

Above - Hundreds of people were on hand for the ribbon cutting.
Below - Executive Director of the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts Ms. Eva Bornstein talks of the improvements to the building.

Above - Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. Speaks of the importance of the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts.
Below - The ribbon cutting.

Wave Hill events October 3 - October 10

Thu, October 3

Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for a public tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free with admission to the grounds.

Meet at Perkins Visitor Center, 1PM

Fri, October 4

Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for a public tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free with admission to the grounds.

Meet at Perkins Visitor Center, 1PM

Sat, October 5

Family Art Project: Cephalopod Prints

For International Cephalopod day, create your own wearable octopus arms and squid tentacles, using creative printing techniques for each of your many limbs. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon.

Wave Hill House, 10AM–1PM

Sat, October 5

Garden Design Walk: The Flower Garden at Wave Hill

Tour the Flower Garden, glorious each fall, with Director of Public Programs Laurel Rimmer. Inspired by the publication of Nature into Art: The Gardens of Wave Hill, releasing in September, 2019, this walk is an opportunity to see how plant combinations and colors, both planned and serendipitous, refresh the design of the garden beds and planted containers in each season. The Flower Garden draws inspiration from the Arts and Crafts gardening style, popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Free with admission to the grounds.

Meet at the Perkins Visitor Center, 1PM

Sat, October 5 

Artists and Curators Talk: Figuring the Floral

Join us for a walkthrough with artists and curators of Figuring the Floral. This exhibition features artists who employ floral imagery to explore representations of identity, including race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, aging and other facets. Free with admission to the grounds.

Glyndor Gallery, 2PM

Sun, October 6

Family Art Project: Cephalopod Prints

For International Cephalopod day, create your own wearable octopus arms and squid tentacles, using creative printing techniques for each of your many limbs. Free with admission to the grounds.

Wave Hill House, 10AM–1PM

Sun, October 6

Nature into Art: The Gardens of Wave Hill―A Conversation Moderated by Stephen Orr

Join us for a lively conversation about the new book Nature into Art: The Gardens of Wave Hill, to be released by Timber Press in late September. Nature into Art explores different areas of the gardens, with helpful information about the plants, techniques and design choices that define this remarkable garden. Joining moderator Stephen Orr, Editor-in-Chief of Better Homes and Gardens, will be Wave Hill’s Founding Director of Horticulture Marco Polo Stufano, current Senior Director of Horticulture Louis Bauer and the book’s author and photographer, Tom Christopher and Ngoc Minh Ngo, respectively. Hear from the creative forces behind this world-renowned garden and the extraordinary story of how, in Tom Christopher’s words, Wave Hill “remade American gardening—as it continues to do today.” A reception follows the event, at which copies of the book will be available for purchase ($40). Book Talk and Reception - $30. Wave Hill Members save 10%. Reservations at wavehill.org or onsite at the Perkins Visitor Center.

Wave Hill House, 2–4PM

Sun, October 6

Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for a public tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free with admission to the grounds.

Meet at Perkins Visitor Center, 2PM

Mon, October 7

Wave Hill is closed.

Tue, October 8

Art Workshop series begins: The Idea of Beauty in Photography *SOLD OUT*

Since the invention of photography at the beginning of the 19th century, practitioners have wrestled with the problem of beauty. What makes a photograph beautiful? Must a photograph be beautiful to be good? Join photographer Benjamin Swett in exploring the meaning of beauty in photography through slide lectures, class discussions, outdoor photography in the woods and gardens of Wave Hill, and critiques of student work. Suitable for all levels. $245; Wave Hill Members save 10%. Registration required, online at wavehill.org or at the Perkins Visitor Center. This four-session series continues October 15, 22 and 29.

Wave Hill House, 10AM–1PM

Tue, October 8

Gallery Tour

Tour Glyndor Gallery with Wave Hill’s Curatorial Assistant or Gallery Greeter to get an insider’s view of current exhibitions. A flower’s life cycle of budding, blooming and pollinating, as well as its process of decay, strongly echoes the human condition. The exhibition Figuring the Floral features artists who apply this symbolism to their work—touching on race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, aging and other facets of identity. Participating artists are Derrick Adams, Nicole Awai, Bahar Behbahani, Christian Ruiz Berman, Sanford Biggers, Cecile Chong, Max Colby, Abigail DeVille, Valerie Hegarty, Christopher K. Ho and Kevin Zucker, Diana Lozano, Natalia Nakazawa, Ebony G. Patterson, Bundith Phunsombatlert, Lina Puerta, Simonette Quamina, David Rios Ferreira, Alexandria Smith, Katherine Toukhy, Lina Iris Viktor, William Villalongo and Saya Woolfalk. In the Sunroom, Emily Oliveira creates a vibrant, installation using large-scale, textile pieces, sculpture and video to transform the Sunroom into a devotional space for a decolonized, queer utopia 1,000 years into the future. In the Sun Porch, Duy Hoàng creates a sculptural installation inspired by his research and material experimentation. In his laboratory-like setting, Hoàng creates a shelter and uses intersecting Paracords and tree branches to juxtapose found objects, such as fallen plants and photographs of fauna and flora sourced from Wave Hill.  Free with admission to the grounds.

Glyndor Gallery, 2PM

Wed, October 9

Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for a public tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free with admission to the grounds.

Meet at Perkins Visitor Center, 1PM

Thu, October 10

Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for a public tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free with admission to the grounds.

Meet at Perkins Visitor Center, 1PM

A 28-acre public garden and cultural center overlooking the Hudson River  and Palisades, Wave Hill’s mission is to celebrate the artistry and legacy of its gardens and landscape, to preserve its magnificent views, and to explore human connections to the natural world through programs in horticulture, education and the arts.

HOURS – Open all year, Tuesday through Sunday and many major holidays: 9AM–5:30PM, March 15–October 31. Closes 4:30PM, starting November 1.

ADMISSION – $10 adults, $6 students and seniors 65+, $4 children 6–18. Free Saturday and Tuesday mornings until noon. Free to Wave Hill Members and children under 6.

PROGRAM FEES – Programs are free with admission to the grounds unless otherwise noted.

Visitors to Wave Hill can take advantage of Metro-North’s one-day getaway offer. Purchase a discount round-trip rail far and discount admission to the gardens. More at http://mta.info/mnr/html/getaways/outbound_wavehill.htm

DIRECTIONS – Getting here is easy! Located only 30 minutes from midtown Manhattan, Wave Hill’s free shuttle van transports you to and from our front gate and Metro-North’s Riverdale station, as well as the W. 242nd Street stop on the #1 subway line. Limited onsite parking is available for $8 per vehicle. Free offsite parking is available nearby with continuous, complimentary shuttle service to and from the offsite lot and our front gate. Complete directions and shuttle bus schedule at www.wavehill.org/visit/.

Information at 718.549.3200. On the web at www.wavehill.org.

BREAKING: WFP endorses Elizabeth Warren!

  To Bad Bill de Blasio:

The Working Families Party is proud to announce our endorsement of Elizabeth Warren in the Democratic primary for president of the United States!

We’re committed to helping Elizabeth win — and to organizing in our communities and online to make sure that the issues that matter to working families remain at the center of this primary campaign. But first we need to know: are you in?

We believe the best way to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 is with a bold vision of a nation that works for the many, not just the few. That's why we're not sitting on the sidelines.

Over the last few months, the Working Families Party engaged in a deliberative process.

We want a future where everyone can thrive, no matter who you are, where you come from, who you love, or how much money is in your pocket. Where we can all be free.

The 20 richest Americans have more wealth than the bottom half of our nation, while a full quarter of our nation’s children live in poverty. We’re the only industrialized nation in the world without universal paid sick days and family leave or guaranteed access to healthcare. Our system of mass incarceration and for-profit prisons jails tens of thousands of young people of color, and deprives them of their vote and their voice. Our cruel immigration system separates families and throws kids in cages.

Elizabeth Warren is one of the smartest, fiercest champions for working families in America today. Her critique of Wall Street and the financial industry helped lay the groundwork for Occupy Wall Street and she was the driving force behind the creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Senator Warren has a clear vision of how race, class, and gender intersect, and her working-class background has given her deep insight into the struggles families face every da\6

Are you in?

Yes, I'm in! » No, I'm supporting another candidate » I haven't decided on a candidate yet »

In solidarity,

Maurice Mitchell
National Director
Working Families Party

EDITOR'S NOTE:

NO. We are not in with the WFP.

Disclaimer on Political Ads on this Blog

  This blog is for political information and community news. We will give our opinion on various races, predicting the outcomes of said races, but we do not endorse candidates taking out ads outside of the written section of this blog. 

This blog is not endorsing any Democratic candidate for President or any other office. This blog will predict who we think will be winners and who will be losers as we have done since the inception of this blog.

Thank You, we look forward to your continued readership.

Wave Hill Events September 26 - October 3

Thu, September 26

Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for a public tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free with admission to the grounds.

Meet at Perkins Visitor Center, 1PM

Fri, September 27

Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for a public tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free with admission to the grounds.

Meet at Perkins Visitor Center, 1PM

Sat, September 28

Family Art Project: Forest Stories 

From understory to emergent layer, the forest holds many stories. Create your own spinning storytelling device that explores the unique stories that each forest layer tells. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon.

Wave Hill House, 10AM–1PM

SAT, September 28

Walks with the Gardeners: The Flower Garden with Harnek Singh

Inspired by the publication of Nature into Art: The Gardens of Wave Hill, to be published by Timber Press in September, this series of walks offers an insider’s view of horticulture at Wave Hill, and an opportunity for a dialogue with the gardeners about growing techniques, garden design and interesting plants at Wave Hill. Tour the Flower Garden, glorious in autumn, with the person who knows it best--Wave Hill Gardener Harnek Singh. Learn how he refreshes the design and color scheme of each planting bed and maintains venerable favorites alongside changing seasonal plantings and containers. Free with admission to the grounds.

Meet at the Perkins VIsitor Center, 1PM

Sat, September 28

Meet the Artists: Duy Huàng and Emily Oliveira

Join us for artists’ talks with New York Community Trust Van Lier Fellows Duy Hoàng and Emily Oliveira and Curator of Visual Arts Eileen Jeng Lynch. In the Sunroom, Emily Oliveira creates a vibrant, installation using large-scale, textile pieces, sculpture and video to transform the Sunroom into a devotional space for a decolonized, queer utopia 1,000 years into the future. In the Sun Porch, Duy Hoàng creates a sculptural installation inspired by his research and material experimentation. In his laboratory-like setting, Hoàng creates a shelter and uses intersecting Paracords and tree branches to juxtapose found objects, such as fallen plants and photographs of fauna and flora sourced from Wave Hill. Free with admission to the grounds.

Glyndor Gallery, 2PM

Sun, September 29

Family Art Project: Forest Stories 

From understory to emergent layer, the forest holds many stories. Create your own spinning storytelling device that explores the unique stories that each forest layer tells. Free with admission to the grounds.

Wave Hill House, 10AM–1PM

Sun, September 29

Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for a public tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free with admission to the grounds.

Meet at Perkins Visitor Center, 2PM

Tue, October 1

Gallery Tour

Tour Glyndor Gallery with Wave Hill’s Curatorial Assistant or Gallery Greeter to get an insider’s view of current exhibitions. A flower’s life cycle of budding, blooming and pollinating, as well as its process of decay, strongly echoes the human condition. The exhibition Figuring the Floral features artists who apply this symbolism to their work—touching on race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, aging and other facets of identity. Participating artists are Derrick Adams, Nicole Awai, Bahar Behbahani, Christian Ruiz Berman, Sanford Biggers, Cecile Chong, Max Colby, Abigail DeVille, Valerie Hegarty, Christopher K. Ho and Kevin Zucker, Diana Lozano, Natalia Nakazawa, Ebony G. Patterson, Bundith Phunsombatlert, Lina Puerta, Simonette Quamina, David Rios Ferreira, Alexandria Smith, Katherine Toukhy, Lina Iris Viktor, William Villalongo and Saya Woolfalk. In the Sunroom, Emily Oliveira creates a vibrant, installation using large-scale, textile pieces, sculpture and video to transform the Sunroom into a devotional space for a decolonized, queer utopia 1,000 years into the future. In the Sun Porch, Duy Hoàng creates a sculptural installation inspired by his research and material experimentation. In his laboratory-like setting, Hoàng creates a shelter and uses intersecting Paracords and tree branches to juxtapose found objects, such as fallen plants and photographs of fauna and flora sourced from Wave Hill.  Free with admission to the grounds.

Glyndor Gallery, 2PM

Wed, October 2

Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for a public tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free with admission to the grounds.

Meet at Perkins Visitor Center, 1PM

Thu, October 3

Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for a public tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free with admission to the grounds.

Meet at Perkins Visitor Center, 1PM

A 28-acre public garden and cultural center overlooking the Hudson River  and Palisades, Wave Hill’s mission is to celebrate the artistry and legacy of its gardens and landscape, to preserve its magnificent views, and to explore human connections to the natural world through programs in horticulture, education and the arts.

HOURS – Open all year, Tuesday through Sunday and many major holidays: 9AM–5:30PM, March 15–October 31. Closes 4:30PM, starting November 1.

ADMISSION – $10 adults, $6 students and seniors 65+, $4 children 6–18. Free Saturday and Tuesday mornings until noon. Free to Wave Hill Members and children under 6.

PROGRAM FEES – Programs are free with admission to the grounds unless otherwise noted.

Visitors to Wave Hill can take advantage of Metro-North’s one-day getaway offer. Purchase a discount round-trip rail far and discount admission to the gardens. More at http://mta.info/mnr/html/getaways/outbound_wavehill.htm

DIRECTIONS – Getting here is easy! Located only 30 minutes from midtown Manhattan, Wave Hill’s free shuttle van transports you to and from our front gate and Metro-North’s Riverdale station, as well as the W. 242nd Street stop on the #1 subway line. Limited onsite parking is available for $8 per vehicle. Free offsite parking is available nearby with continuous, complimentary shuttle service to and from the offsite lot and our front gate. Complete directions and shuttle bus schedule at www.wavehill.org/visit/.

Information at 718.549.3200. On the web at www.wavehill.org.

MTA REMOVAL OF BUS STOP SCHEDULES DRAWS IRE OF CM COHEN AND AM DINOWITZ

  Following a recent cost-saving measure from the MTA to remove printed schedules at all bus stops, Council Member Andrew Cohen and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz have penned a letter expressing their displeasure. The decision, which the MTA estimates to save approximately $550,000 per year, has also elicited complaints from bus riders, advocates, and elected officials throughout the city. The MTA indicates on their website that there are 16,350 bus stops citywide with an average of 2.4 million bus riders per day.

In their letter, Cohen and Dinowitz challenge the cost-effectiveness of saving a half-million dollars per year at the expense of easily accessed information for bus riders. A 2015 report from NYC Department of Consumer Affairs about mobile phone ownership indicates that 40% of people over the age of 60 and 15% of people with incomes under $31,200 per year do not have a smartphone.

The MTA has suggested that in lieu of printed schedules at each bus stop, that customers could simply log on to their MYmta smartphone app to check the schedule. The MTA also offers schedule information by calling 511 and navigating their automated voice-recognition system or by texting bus route and stop information to 511123. However, a test of the 511 system from Assemblyman Dinowitz’s office resulted in an estimated 7-9 minute wait to speak with a live representative after the voice recognition failed to identify which stop information was being requested. The texting service also only provided information about the next arriving bus, and did not offer any information about when a bus was scheduled to arrive at a future time.

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said: “At a time when we should be expanding information access to all bus riders, such as adding modernized bus maps and route frequency information, it is very unfortunate that the MTA has decided to eliminate an essential service for many of their customers. Not everyone has or wants to use a cell phone to figure out when the bus is supposed to come. Eliminating printed schedules at bus stops to save a little bit of mouney seems penny wise and pound foolish, especially as we see money continue to be wasted on things like bus washing facilities that weren’t built large enough to fit the necessary equipment.”

Council Member Andrew Cohen said: “To think that every person will be able to pull out a smart phone to figure out when something as important as when the bus should be arriving, is not considerate of our community members that do not have access to technology or have the understanding of how to do so. This is a modest amount of capital that the MTA is trying to save compared to the system-wide investments that the MTA needs to make. The need for information about when the bus arriving is very important to my constituents, so much so that bus countdown clocks have been a consistent ballot item on my yearly Participatory Budgeting process and that I have invested over $520,000 in City funding towards since 2016. This is not where the MTA should be cutting cost, and it does not improve equitable service for all patrons- which should be the goal.”

Six Members of Congress Endorse Congressional Candidate Michael Blake (NY-15)

  Michael Blake, a third-term Assemblymember, received multi-state support including a Presidential candidate and a national African American leader in Congress.

As thousands flock to Washington, D.C. for the Congressional Black Caucus’ Annual Legislative Conference Michael Blake, Congressional Candidate for NY-15, released an impressive first set of endorsements which includes Congressman Anthony Brindisi (D-NY), Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA), Congressman and Presidential candidate Tim Ryan (D-OH), Congresswoman Deb Haaland (D-NM), Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-IL) and Congressman Dan Kildee (D-MI). 

“During my tenure as a Member of the New York State Assembly, I sat behind Michael on the floor of the Assembly, which gave me a front row seat watching him fight for people who did not have powerful special interests groups in Albany. I know Michael will take that same fight to Washington as a Member of Congress. I proudly endorse Michael Blake for Congress." - said Congressman Brindisi 

“I've known Michael since I was the Speaker of the California Assembly and immediately knew that Michael Blake was a leader that people believe in his vision. From his time as a White House aide to President Obama to his current local and national elected leadership, Michael is a progressive, prepared and effective leader who we need in Congress. It is critical that we have African American leadership ready from day one to help our people and all Americans thrive in this country, which is why I endorse Michael Blake. I wholeheartedly endorse Michael Blake to be the next Member of Congress because we need young African American and leaders of Color to lead our country forward. - Congresswoman Karen Bass (CA-33)

"Michael Blake is a leader and has a bold vision for the people of his community and the country. The United States Congress needs him now more than ever. He can help our country heal, come together and start making progress again." - Congressman Ryan (OH-13)

“My friend Michael Blake is a true leader. As an assemblyman representing one of the most diverse districts in the country, Michael understands the challenges of so many of us. I’ve seen his leadership in action and deeply appreciate his commitment to never leave anyone behind. He fights for all people to have a voice in our politics, and I would be honored to serve with him and his progressive vision in Congress.”- Congresswoman Haaland (NM-1)

“I have known Michael for close to 15 years. I have watched him grow as a leader who is well respected by his peers. When Michael speaks people listen.  As a fellow New York native, Michael is the kind of influential, compassionate and hardworking leader that we need in Congress to help people believe again in The Bronx and that politics matters.” - Congresswoman Kelly (IL-2)

"Michael understands the fight and is ready to get to work on the big challenges our nation faces. He would be an incredible voice for working families and an ally in the fight to boost wages, lower health care costs and expand opportunity for all. Michael would be a true representative for the people, and, we need him in Congress." - Congressman Kildee (MI-5)

Prior to these endorsements, Assemblymember Blake was endorsed by The Collective PAC in August.

Assemblymember Blake represents the 79th District of New York. Formerly, he served as an aide in the Obama Administration and currently serves as Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair.

To learn more about Michael Blake’s platform and policy positions, please visit  blakeforcongress.nyc.

Bronx State Senate Session Update

  Bronx State Senators Jamaal Bailey, Alessandra Biaggi, Gustavo Rivera, and Luis Sepulveda, Thursday night held a Legislative Update of what went on in Albany this year. Nine-hundred and thirty-five bills were passed  in the 2019 legislative session. State Senator Gustavo  Rivera has been in Albany longer than the other three senators combined. Senator Rivera is the Chair of the Health Committee, Senator Bailey is the Chair of the Codes Committee, Senator Biaggi the chair of the Ethics Committee, and Senator Sepulveda is the Chair of the Crime Victims and Criminal Justice Committee.

The event started late with very few people in the audience other than staff members of the elected officials. Senator Rivera spoke first, and gave an overview of some major items such as the new rent laws, the Reproductive Health Act, and the New York Health Act to name only a few. 

Senator Biaggi spoke of holding hearings on sexual harassment, which she said was the first time in twenty-seven years in the state senate. She said that of the eighty bills she introduced seventeen passed the state senate, and four were signed by Governor Cuomo. To become a law a bill has to pass both the state senate and state assembly in exactly the same wording, and then be signed by the governor. There are many bills that pass only one house or are vetoed by the governor which never become a law.

Senator Sepulveda opened his speech with an old vaudeville line "Take my wife, Please". He then went on to discuss how people with mental health issues wind up in jails to be wharehoused. He spoke about the Green Light Act Bill and the Jose Peralta Dream Act.

Senator Bailey wants fairness in trials or a 'Triangle of Justice'. That means a change in the Discovery Laws, No Cash Bail, and Speedy Trials. He added about the new early voting coming to New York State, October 26th this year.

Moderator Gary Axelbank combined like questions that were written on cards. With all the questions and very low community involvement people on the way out said that the senators did not address what the community wanted to hear. What seemed to be the highlight of this legislative update was an interruption by Stephanie Minaras an Anti-Vaccine advocate that lasted several minutes before senate staffers quieted her down without incident.

Above - Mark Jerome of Monroe College speaks to the audience about the pleasure of hosting this legislative update.

Below - Anti-Vaccine advocate Stephanie Minaras interrupts the event.