The First Bronx Art & Book Festival
THE FIRST BRONX ART & BOOK FESTIVAL
Saturday, May 9 • 1:00 – 5:00 PM
For All Ages • Free • Drop In
At The Bronx Museum
(1040 Grand Concourse)
The Bronx Museum is delighted to host The First Bronx Art & Book Festival, along with program partners: the BX Safe Zone Consulting and Brooklyn Book Bodega.
All are welcome to drop by the Museum for this action-packed program featuring local authors, live music by Cactus Rose NYC, book give-aways, and more!
Attendees are also welcome to stop by the NYC Civic Engagement Commission‘s table to submit an NYC Participatory Budget ballot in person. This process invites New Yorkers ages 11 and up, regardless of immigration status, to vote on how to spend a part of the City’s expense budget on projects in their borough to address community needs. The Bronx has $200,000 allocated and ten projects to vote on—the top five will receive funding! You can also vote online HERE.
Top Image: Artwork by The Bronx Museum fall 2025 Teen Council Cohort.
Artists, Authors, & Partners
Ebony Bolt
Ebony Bolt is a New York-based artist known for her intricate prints and patterns inspired by urban life.
Her work captures the rhythm of the city through sketches of everyday commuters, layered into richly detailed, Victorian-inspired textile designs.
Fay Bonas
Fay Bonas is a South Bronx-based visual artist whose practice is rooted in community, culture, and creativity.
She transforms both traditional and unconventional materials into dynamic pieces that reflect everyday life and human connection.
Her work brings ordinary materials to life, blending color, form, and dimension to highlight the beauty of nature and the everyday.
Brooklyn Book Bodega
Brooklyn Book Bodega works to ensure that all children, regardless of economic circumstances, can grow up in homes filled with books.
By distributing free books, Brooklyn Book Bodega makes home libraries a reality for families in need. In 2024, we distributed more than 179,000 books.
Brooklyn Book Bodega hosts book parties and programming bringing communities together to foster a love of reading, intentional book culture, and book ownership.
BX Safe Zone Consulting
BX Safe Zone is a Bronx-based mobile consulting and engagement initiative supporting nightlife venues, cultural institutions, and community spaces in creating safer, more inclusive environments.
Through an art-based approach, the program brings together safety mapping, creative engagement activities, staff mini-training, and accessible printed and digital resources to build awareness and strengthen community culture.
Their work focuses on: mental health awareness, conflict prevention, bystander support, cultural sensitivity, and community trust. BX Safe Zone is about creating spaces where people feel seen, respected, and safe while using creativity as a tool for connection and change.
Cactus Rose NYC
Cactus Rose NYC is a trailblazing 3-piece band from Lenapehoking, blending southern Indigenous roots, cosmic country, Appalachian folk, and Americana into a sound that is both soulful and rebellious.
Led by vocalist, songwriter, and activist Kandia Crazy Horse, whose voice carries echoes of ancestral traditions and lived experience, the band brings together rich musical influences shaped by journeys across continents and homelands.
Alongside seasoned musicians Nico Zaca and Lonnie Harrington, their performances are filled with energy, storytelling, and cultural depth.
Majora Carter
Majora Carter is a real estate developer, urban revitalization strategist, MacArthur Fellow, and Peabody Award-winning broadcaster who also teaches at Princeton University.
She is the author of Reclaiming Your Community and is widely known for her powerful message: "Nobody should have to move out of their neighborhood to live in a better one.”
From launching the Boogie Down Grind in Hunts Point to leading groundbreaking initiatives in green infrastructure, tech access, and economic development, Majora’s work creates pathways for wealth, sustainability, and community pride.
Christine DeFazio
Christine DeFazio is a Bronx-based art educator and artist who has developed curriculum for major institutions including The Met’s Astor Fellowship and Lincoln Center’s Arts in the Middle.
With a background in Art History from Stony Brook and Hunter College, she has also served as Director of Michael Hall Fine Art, where she curated exhibitions and authored publications on Renaissance and 19th-century sculpture.
Her own artwork explores the psyche of her subjects often portraying figures in moments of emotional tension through allegory, myth, and a touch of Surrealism. Through imagery of the female form, she conveys themes of love, longing, and despair with depth and sensitivity.
Karen Kelley
Karen Kelley began her journey on Chicago’s South Side and studied painting and art history at Sarah Lawrence.
Her path has taken her through Rome, Paris, and nine years in Kingston, Jamaica, before settling into Harlem and The Bronx—where she also maintained a studio in Port Morris while teaching Tai Chi in Manhattan.
Her work reflects this global and grounded experience, offering signed digital prints of original pieces some hand-embellished with glitter, ink, and light-refracting acrylics as well as a selection of small, ready-to-hang paintings on wood.
Ikwe (Kelsey Pyro)
Ikwe is a music producer, vocalist, songwriter, and performance artist whose practice is deeply rooted in her identity as a Black and Ojibwe woman.
Through music, poetry, film, and performance, Ikwe amplifies the layered experiences of Black and Native identity. Drawing from oral traditions, she blends organic and electronic sounds incorporating hand drums, vocals, and instrumentation into immersive sonic landscapes.
Her work is both personal and collective, honoring story, land, and culture while creating space for reflection, healing, and visibility.
Ira Meritt
Ira Meritt began his mixed-media practice in 1998 after studying etching at the School of Visual Arts.
Following his retirement from teaching in 2014, he returned to his artistic roots—expanding his practice through printmaking, collage, and drawing at Lehman College.
Today, his work focuses on large-scale photo collages and sculptural assemblages, incorporating painted ties layered onto foam core boards—transforming everyday materials into expressive visual narratives.
Gladys LaFrossia
Gladys is a local artist with deep roots in The Bronx. She was born and bred in The Bronx. She lives and works there. She is proud to be a Bronxite!
She is an artist and an artisan. She makes handmade gifts. Her style can be described as funny, quirky, sarcastic, sweet, and whimsical. Her pieces invite both a chuckle and a moment of thoughtful connection.
Keesha Pittman
Born in Queens and raised in Long Island City, Keesha L. Pittman shares a deeply personal journey shaped by loss, resilience, and transformation.
Through her life experiences, she has come to understand the importance of self-love, boundaries, and faith. Her story reminds us that while each of our paths may be different, we all have the strength to grow, heal, and move forward with purpose.
Redmoon Arts Inc (Dennis RedMoon Darkeem)
Dennis RedMoon Darkeem is a multimedia artist and educator creating experiential works that engage, enlighten, and educate.
His art explores themes of identity, culture, and community, reflecting his Indigenous and African American heritage.
His aesthetic is inspired by my Indigenous Yamassee Yat’siminoli and African-American cultural heritage and he incorporates traditional craft customs, storytelling, history, and ancient connections to earth and water into his work.
Selina Sapphire
Selina Sapphire is a Boricua artist, born and raised in the South Bronx, with a deep love for art, music, culture, and community.
A self-taught artist shaped by Hip Hop culture, she expresses her story through vibrant color, movement, and texture.
Her work reflects the beauty that often goes unnoticed the graffiti-lined alleyways, messages written on walls, and the energy of the Bronx beneath skies filled with passing planes. Through her art, she honors everyday life and invites us to see it differently.
Elton Tucker
Elton Tucker is a native New Yorker and full-time artist who also works as an art instructor in NYC after-school programs.
A graduate of the High School of Art and Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology, his work reflects both strong technical training and deep emotional expression. His paintings are filled with vibrant colors, bold patterns, and a sense of movement capturing the spiritual energy of the human form.
Inspired by everyday life and human emotion, Elton explores color, shape, and texture to create work that connects and resonates.
His mission is to create art that people can relate to, draw inspiration from, and carry into their everyday lives.
Family Time May 2026: Fabric Collaging With Artist Massiel Mafes
Alongside the Book & Art Festival, artist Massiel Mafes — who is currently exhibiting work in our exhibition, The Seventh AIM Biennial: Forms of Connection exhibition — will be leading a free drop-in fabric-collaging workshop from 1:00 – 3:00 PM. The workshop is designed to be fun for all ages and accessible to young children and their caregivers.
Program Partners
Sponsors
