About Me
- Clarisel Gonzalez
- I am editor and publisher of Clarisel Media (formerly PRSUN Communications), an independent online media and media consulting business.
Monday, February 28, 2011
BX Marks the Spot
Not crazy about this video because the Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. is all over it. I would have preferred less Diaz appearances here. But it is a good effort anyway to promote the Bronx. What do you think of it?
Monday, February 14, 2011
The Bronx celebrates Dominican Heritage Month
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., in conjunction with La Gran Parada Dominicana de El Bronx, Inc., will host the borough’s official Dominican Heritage Celebration on Tuesday, February 15th and is encouraging Bronxites to join him and celebrate the beauty of the Dominican culture.
Every year Dominican-Americans get together to celebrate their culture at Borough Hall with music, food, and performances. This year, the borough president will be honoring Dominican-American leaders that have contributed to the community. The 2011 honorees are: Dr. Ramona Hernandez, Professor of Sociology and Director of the CUNY Dominican Studies; Dolly Martinez, Interim Deputy to the President and Assistant Vice President for College Affairs; Meriam Morales Batista, Coordinator of La Gran Parada Dominicana de El Bronx; and Robert W. Mercedes, Principal, Middle School 390.
Refreshments will be served. Seating is limited, to RSVP please call 718-590-3989 or email smalave(at)bronxbp.nyc.gov.
WHEN: Tuesday, February 15
TIME: 5:30 PM
WHERE: Bronx County Building
851 Grand Concourse at 161st Street – Rotunda
source: Bronx BP release
Every year Dominican-Americans get together to celebrate their culture at Borough Hall with music, food, and performances. This year, the borough president will be honoring Dominican-American leaders that have contributed to the community. The 2011 honorees are: Dr. Ramona Hernandez, Professor of Sociology and Director of the CUNY Dominican Studies; Dolly Martinez, Interim Deputy to the President and Assistant Vice President for College Affairs; Meriam Morales Batista, Coordinator of La Gran Parada Dominicana de El Bronx; and Robert W. Mercedes, Principal, Middle School 390.
Refreshments will be served. Seating is limited, to RSVP please call 718-590-3989 or email smalave(at)bronxbp.nyc.gov.
WHEN: Tuesday, February 15
TIME: 5:30 PM
WHERE: Bronx County Building
851 Grand Concourse at 161st Street – Rotunda
source: Bronx BP release
Friday, February 11, 2011
BESO LOUNGE HOSTS VALENTINE’S DAY WEEKEND CHARITY DATE AUCTION; ALL PROCEEDS DONATED TO HELP CHILDREN WITH AUTISM
Valentine's Day is coming up. If you are single and looking for something fun and different to do this Valentine's right here in the Bronx, check out what the Beso Lounge is doing tonight to celebrate and support a good cause. Go bid.
Here's the press release:
BESO LOUNGE
320 E. 204TH
BRONX, NY (OLD SANDBOX)
Facebook.com/besolounge
Valentines Day weekend can feel lonely for singles in NYC, but there is one solution. Bid on one of NYC’s finest bachelors or bachelorettes and you can win a date! Beso Lounge, located at 320 E. 204th Street in Bronx, NY, is hosting this first annual live charity auction on Friday, February 11 at 9:00 PM. And the best part about this event is that all the proceeds are being donated to a good cause.
Although there is no admission charge, a $15 donation is suggested at the door. All donations from the door and the auction will go to Autism Speaks, a not-for-profit organization, founded in 2005, that has become the nation’s largest autism research and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism. Their goal is to change the future for all who struggle with autism spectrum disorders.
“It is wonderful to have local businesses in the community partner with Autism Speaks to produce an event such as this. It shows the community that businesses are looking to give back to help so many families that are affected by autism,” said Jena Greco, NYC Walk Director, Autism Speaks.
Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that inhibits a person's ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and is often accompanied by behavioral challenges. Autism spectrum disorders are diagnosed in one in 110 children in the United States, affecting four times as many boys as girls. The prevalence of autism increased 57 percent from 2002 to 2006. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called autism a national public health crisis whose cause and cure remain unknown.
Beso Lounge was founded in November 2010 by Gino Pacheco and Eli Garcia. They are dedicated to getting more involved in philanthropic causes by helping to raise money and awareness. Beso Lounge is an exciting venue with lively music, Thursday night karaoke and nightly drink specials.
Cash and checks will be accepted at the door with checks made payable to Autism Speaks.
###
Here's the press release:
BESO LOUNGE
320 E. 204TH
BRONX, NY (OLD SANDBOX)
Facebook.com/besolounge
Valentines Day weekend can feel lonely for singles in NYC, but there is one solution. Bid on one of NYC’s finest bachelors or bachelorettes and you can win a date! Beso Lounge, located at 320 E. 204th Street in Bronx, NY, is hosting this first annual live charity auction on Friday, February 11 at 9:00 PM. And the best part about this event is that all the proceeds are being donated to a good cause.
Although there is no admission charge, a $15 donation is suggested at the door. All donations from the door and the auction will go to Autism Speaks, a not-for-profit organization, founded in 2005, that has become the nation’s largest autism research and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism. Their goal is to change the future for all who struggle with autism spectrum disorders.
“It is wonderful to have local businesses in the community partner with Autism Speaks to produce an event such as this. It shows the community that businesses are looking to give back to help so many families that are affected by autism,” said Jena Greco, NYC Walk Director, Autism Speaks.
Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that inhibits a person's ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and is often accompanied by behavioral challenges. Autism spectrum disorders are diagnosed in one in 110 children in the United States, affecting four times as many boys as girls. The prevalence of autism increased 57 percent from 2002 to 2006. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called autism a national public health crisis whose cause and cure remain unknown.
Beso Lounge was founded in November 2010 by Gino Pacheco and Eli Garcia. They are dedicated to getting more involved in philanthropic causes by helping to raise money and awareness. Beso Lounge is an exciting venue with lively music, Thursday night karaoke and nightly drink specials.
Cash and checks will be accepted at the door with checks made payable to Autism Speaks.
###
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Casita Maria wins a 'Space for Change' grant for an arts and cultural facility 'buildable plan'
Congratulations to Casita Maria for its 'Space for Change' plan.
CASITA MARIA CENTER FOR ARTS AND EDUCATION AWARDED
NATIONAL “SPACE FOR CHANGE” PLANNING GRANT
FROM LINC AND THE FORD FOUNDATION
South Bronx Organization To Receive Rare Funds To Turn Nascent Concept
For Arts And Cultural Facility Into Buildable Plan
New York , NY – Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education in the South Bronx has been awarded a Space for Change Planning and Pre-Development Grant to help translate its vision for an exemplary art space into a buildable plan. The organization is among 12 grantees nationwide whose early stage facility projects were selected as exceptional examples of how art can reinvigorate a neighborhood by Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC) in partnership with the Ford Foundation. The Space for Change Planning and Pre-Development grants provide organizations with the initial funds that are most critical to a facility’s success – and yet the most difficult to obtain.
The 12 winners were chosen from nearly 700 applicants from 49 states as well as the District of Columbia . They responded to a call last April from LINC, in partnership with Ford, for letters of interest from nonprofit arts organizations intending to buy, construct, renovate, help develop, or become anchor tenants in an art space or cultural facility. Full proposals were invited from organizations with strong track records of artistic excellence, diverse leadership and active community engagement. The projects that proved to be outstanding were rooted not only from the internal needs of the organization, but also took into account the role of the cultural facility as an essential community asset. A total of $1 million was distributed through this program. Grantees received planning and predevelopment support up to $100,000.
Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education will receive $50,000 over two years to commission a comprehensive study of its 400-seat performing arts venue. Founded in 1934, Casita Maria was the first charitable organization to serve New York City ’s Hispanic population. The organization recognizes that its 90,000 sq. ft. south Bronx location can be a gateway to cultural opportunities and enrichment more frequently experienced in Manhattan than its own community, a neighborhood shedding its reputation as a synonym for urban blight.
In a unique arrangement, Casita Maria operates from a new facility owned and constructed in 2009 by the City of New York , built on land that the arts center owns, and shared with an arts-focused public middle school. This strategy has enabled Casita Maria to operate from a new facility without incurring significant construction costs. A community anchor, Casita Maria offers a wide range of cultural activities, with a strong emphasis on youth programming including in-school and after-school arts education, summer camp, and internships, as well as a public art gallery. Though flexible and already serving many functions, modifications to the building’s gymnasium/auditorium will allow Casita Maria to adapt the space into a well-equipped performance hall that can support a more frequent program of public performances across a broader range of artistic genre—from multimedia to modern dance.
“Predevelopment funds are critical to a successful planning process, but arts organizations are too often deemed ‘high risk’ by conventional lending institutions and are unable to access these much needed resources,” said Judilee Reed, executive director, LINC. “The Space for Change program is designed to help our grantees plan methodically, and create more than buildings or architectural objects, but genuinely dynamic engines of culture and change. These grants invest in the vision of compelling projects that will ultimately benefit not just artists, but a larger geographic community as well.”
“Space for Change is a unique program that provides support for arts organizations to translate ideas into action,” said Darren Walker, vice president for Education, Creativity and Free Expression at the Ford Foundation. “Each winning project expresses the rich diversity of the American cultural landscape, matching the development of creative spaces and artistic innovation.”
The other recipients of Space for Change Planning and Pre-Development Grants are:
651 Arts Brooklyn , NY
City of Asylum/Pittsburgh Pittsburgh , PA
Columbia Film Society Columbia , SC
Dance Place Washington , D.C.
The Heidelberg Center Detroit , MI
The Heritage Center of Red Cloud Indian School Pine Ridge , SD
Intersection for the Arts San Francisco , CA
Los Cenzontles Mexican Art Center San Pablo , CA
Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA) San Jose , CA
Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) Detroit , MI
Northwoods Niijii Enterprise Community, Inc. Lac du Flambeau , WI
For complete profiles of each grantee’s facility project please visit www.lincnet.net.
Space for Change – a multi-faceted program created to promote the development of affordable artist spaces through awards, research, and learning – was launched by LINC in 2009 in collaboration with the MetLife Foundation and the Ford Foundation. In addition to commissioning research and building a national learning community around the issues of artist space development, the program has included two funding opportunities: the MetLife Foundation Innovative Space Awards (ISAs) and the Ford Foundation Space for Change Planning and Pre-Development Grants. The second and final round of the ISAs was announced last fall. The Space for Change Planning and Pre-Development grants mark the culmination of LINC’s grantmaking in artist space development.
In addition to receiving direct financial support, each Space for Change grantee will have access to technical assistance, knowledge exchange, and the development of a national network of peer institutions. LINC grantees, across all of its program areas, will be invited to a series of meetings and workshops designed to advance the development of outstanding artist space nationwide.
About LINC
Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC) is a ten-year national initiative to improve the conditions for artists working in all disciplines. LINC believes that providing artists with a relevant system of support and resources will enhance their creative output, enabling them to make greater and more meaningful contributions to our communities and society as a whole. Visit www.lincnet.net for more information.
About the Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit grant-making organization. For more than half a century it has worked with courageous people on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. With headquarters in New York , the foundation has offices in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia .
###
source: press release
CASITA MARIA CENTER FOR ARTS AND EDUCATION AWARDED
NATIONAL “SPACE FOR CHANGE” PLANNING GRANT
FROM LINC AND THE FORD FOUNDATION
South Bronx Organization To Receive Rare Funds To Turn Nascent Concept
For Arts And Cultural Facility Into Buildable Plan
New York , NY – Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education in the South Bronx has been awarded a Space for Change Planning and Pre-Development Grant to help translate its vision for an exemplary art space into a buildable plan. The organization is among 12 grantees nationwide whose early stage facility projects were selected as exceptional examples of how art can reinvigorate a neighborhood by Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC) in partnership with the Ford Foundation. The Space for Change Planning and Pre-Development grants provide organizations with the initial funds that are most critical to a facility’s success – and yet the most difficult to obtain.
The 12 winners were chosen from nearly 700 applicants from 49 states as well as the District of Columbia . They responded to a call last April from LINC, in partnership with Ford, for letters of interest from nonprofit arts organizations intending to buy, construct, renovate, help develop, or become anchor tenants in an art space or cultural facility. Full proposals were invited from organizations with strong track records of artistic excellence, diverse leadership and active community engagement. The projects that proved to be outstanding were rooted not only from the internal needs of the organization, but also took into account the role of the cultural facility as an essential community asset. A total of $1 million was distributed through this program. Grantees received planning and predevelopment support up to $100,000.
Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education will receive $50,000 over two years to commission a comprehensive study of its 400-seat performing arts venue. Founded in 1934, Casita Maria was the first charitable organization to serve New York City ’s Hispanic population. The organization recognizes that its 90,000 sq. ft. south Bronx location can be a gateway to cultural opportunities and enrichment more frequently experienced in Manhattan than its own community, a neighborhood shedding its reputation as a synonym for urban blight.
In a unique arrangement, Casita Maria operates from a new facility owned and constructed in 2009 by the City of New York , built on land that the arts center owns, and shared with an arts-focused public middle school. This strategy has enabled Casita Maria to operate from a new facility without incurring significant construction costs. A community anchor, Casita Maria offers a wide range of cultural activities, with a strong emphasis on youth programming including in-school and after-school arts education, summer camp, and internships, as well as a public art gallery. Though flexible and already serving many functions, modifications to the building’s gymnasium/auditorium will allow Casita Maria to adapt the space into a well-equipped performance hall that can support a more frequent program of public performances across a broader range of artistic genre—from multimedia to modern dance.
“Predevelopment funds are critical to a successful planning process, but arts organizations are too often deemed ‘high risk’ by conventional lending institutions and are unable to access these much needed resources,” said Judilee Reed, executive director, LINC. “The Space for Change program is designed to help our grantees plan methodically, and create more than buildings or architectural objects, but genuinely dynamic engines of culture and change. These grants invest in the vision of compelling projects that will ultimately benefit not just artists, but a larger geographic community as well.”
“Space for Change is a unique program that provides support for arts organizations to translate ideas into action,” said Darren Walker, vice president for Education, Creativity and Free Expression at the Ford Foundation. “Each winning project expresses the rich diversity of the American cultural landscape, matching the development of creative spaces and artistic innovation.”
The other recipients of Space for Change Planning and Pre-Development Grants are:
651 Arts Brooklyn , NY
City of Asylum/Pittsburgh Pittsburgh , PA
Columbia Film Society Columbia , SC
Dance Place Washington , D.C.
The Heidelberg Center Detroit , MI
The Heritage Center of Red Cloud Indian School Pine Ridge , SD
Intersection for the Arts San Francisco , CA
Los Cenzontles Mexican Art Center San Pablo , CA
Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA) San Jose , CA
Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) Detroit , MI
Northwoods Niijii Enterprise Community, Inc. Lac du Flambeau , WI
For complete profiles of each grantee’s facility project please visit www.lincnet.net.
Space for Change – a multi-faceted program created to promote the development of affordable artist spaces through awards, research, and learning – was launched by LINC in 2009 in collaboration with the MetLife Foundation and the Ford Foundation. In addition to commissioning research and building a national learning community around the issues of artist space development, the program has included two funding opportunities: the MetLife Foundation Innovative Space Awards (ISAs) and the Ford Foundation Space for Change Planning and Pre-Development Grants. The second and final round of the ISAs was announced last fall. The Space for Change Planning and Pre-Development grants mark the culmination of LINC’s grantmaking in artist space development.
In addition to receiving direct financial support, each Space for Change grantee will have access to technical assistance, knowledge exchange, and the development of a national network of peer institutions. LINC grantees, across all of its program areas, will be invited to a series of meetings and workshops designed to advance the development of outstanding artist space nationwide.
About LINC
Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC) is a ten-year national initiative to improve the conditions for artists working in all disciplines. LINC believes that providing artists with a relevant system of support and resources will enhance their creative output, enabling them to make greater and more meaningful contributions to our communities and society as a whole. Visit www.lincnet.net for more information.
About the Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit grant-making organization. For more than half a century it has worked with courageous people on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. With headquarters in New York , the foundation has offices in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia .
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source: press release
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