Vote to Restore the Botanical Garden’s Historic Rock Garden Cascade

The Garden Rocks. The National Trust for Historic Preservation Selects The New York Botanical Garden as One of 40 New York City Sites to Compete in the Partners in Preservation Program

Vote Online from April 26 Through May 21

www.PartnersInPreservation.com

The New York Botanical Garden is one of New York City’s most cherished treasures. The dramatic 2.5-acre Rock Garden is an oasis framed by a tall curtain of mature trees. One of the most exquisite features, the cascade descends gracefully down among the rock and gravel run, which is strewn with naturalized alpine flowers. Built by New Yorkers between 1932–1936, it is one of the most prominent ornamental landscapes to be constructed by the men and women of the Works Progress Administration, the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, which employed millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects.

Today, the Rock Garden is enjoyed by thousands of visitors each year. An intimate, quiet garden, it provides visitors from the Bronx and around the world with a tranquil respite from the stresses of everyday life. It offers plenty of surprises to those unfamiliar with rock gardens—while there are rocks aplenty, the real treasures of this garden are its thousands of jewel-like alpine flowers, graceful woodland plants, and, of course, the focus of the Partners in Preservation competition―its sparkling cascade, which flows down a stream to a flower-rimmed pond.

The New York Botanical Garden has been chosen as one of 40 places in New York City to compete in Partners in Preservation, a program to help educate New Yorkers about the importance of historic sites. Through Partners in Preservation, the Botanical Garden has the opportunity to receive a grant for the restoration of the cascade in its historic Rock Garden. The public can support the effort to restore and preserve part of the Garden’s landscape, one of the most beloved and romantic sites in New York, by voting for The New York Botanical Garden at www.PartnersInPreservation.com. If awarded, the grant will be used to help make the Rock Garden cascade sustainable for future generations. For more information, visit www.nybg.org/vote. 

Partners in Preservation is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express.

One vote per person per day is permitted during the voting period

from April 26 through May 21, 2012, at

www.PartnersInPreservation.com or through Facebook at

www.Facebook.com/PartnersInPreservation. 

The top three vote-getters at the end of the competition are guaranteed funding for

their preservation projects. An advisory committee will award

additional grants to a number of other participating sites based on

their campaigns and specific need. For visitors interested in

discovering or reacquainting themselves with the Rock Garden

during the voting period, entry to the Rock Garden will be

included in The New York Botanical Garden’s Grounds-Only pass.

source: NYBG press release

The Havana Film Festival Starts Tomorrow

Film

13th HAVANA FILM FESTIVAL NEW YORK Celebrates Latin American Cinema APRIL 12-20

The 13th annual Havana Film Festival New York (HFFNY) runs April 12-20 with more than 40 highly anticipated and influential films from and about Latin America, the Caribbean, and Latinos in the U.S. including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Spain, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and the U.S will be in the festival's five venues and three boroughs, including the Bronx. They span a variety of genres and themes, ranging from comedy, thrillers, action, drama and documentaries to children's tales, as well as films from and about indigenous peoples from Guatemala, Mexico, and Colombia. All foreign language films are subtitled in English.

The festival honors Cuban actress Eslinda Nuñez. For more than 40 years, Eslinda has participated in some of the most important films made in Cuba including Lucía by Humberto Solás, Memorias del subdesarrollo by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea. She will be in NY presenting the films Amada, Cecilia (these two directed by Humberto Solás) and Bailando Cha Cha Cha (Manuel Herrera.)

HFFNY is also honoring one of the masters of the art of photography, cinematographer Raúl Perez Ureta. The collaborator of directors like Fernando Pérez (Madagascar, La vida es silbar, Suite Habana), Daniel Díaz Torres (Otra mujer, Alicia en el pueblo de Maravillas, Hacerse el sueco), Gerardo Chijona (Boleto al paraiso, Perfecto amor equivocado), he is the head of the Photography Department at the San Antonio de los Baños, International Film and TV School. Pérez Ureta is described as a cinematographer "who has created a contrasting, paradoxical aesthetic by beautifying unhappiness and casting a shadow over joy." Pérez Ureta will be presenting two films in which he has been awarded Best Photography: José Martí: The Eye of Canary (New York Premiere) and Madrigal (both directed by Fernando Pérez).

Nineteen films will compete to receive the third Havana Star Prize for Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay, as well as the second Havana Star Prize for Best Documentary, which will be awarded on April 20th at the Closing Night ceremony.

For more information, visit http://hffny.com.

New York Cares: Do Your Part for the Bronx

Community Calendar

New York Cares, the city’s leading volunteer organization, offers great ways for Bronx residents to get involved in their community through rewarding, conveniently scheduled projects.

April Volunteer Project Highlights – The Bronx

Becoming a New York Cares volunteer is easy. Simply attend a one-time orientation at the Mott Haven Library on the evening of Tuesday, April 17^th or any other Bronx location. You can then choose from approximately 1,200 projects citywide each month.  To register for an orientation in your area, please visit www.newyorkcares.org or call 212-228-5000.

Upcoming Bronx project highlights:

·         New York Cares Day Spring — Ensure your local parks, community gardens, and public spaces remain safe and fun places to relax and enjoy nature by joining more than 5,000 volunteers from across New York City in this April 21^st day of service. Visit one of our twelve sites in the Bronx or any of our dozens of other locations. No orientation is required to participate. Visit www.newyorkcaresday.org for more information.

·         Bedtime Stories at Theresa’s Haven — Foster a love of books and art in children, ages 4-12, by reading and crafts projects with the children of Theresa’s Haven in Mount Hope on Thursday evenings.

·         Pre-GED Prep at GED Plus Davidson — Ensure students realize their full potential and take a step towards achieving their goals by preparing them in reading, writing, and math for the GED in Mt. Eden on Tuesday afternoons.

·         Music and Movement at BronxWorks' Nelson Avenue Family Residence — Enjoy hands-on music games with children as they learn about different musical instruments, play rhythm games, and have fun expressing themselves through music on Saturday afternoons in University Heights.