Family Time May 2026: Collaging Fabric With Artist Massiel Mafes
FAMILY TIME MAY 2026: FABRIC COLLAGING
WITH ARTIST MASSIEL MAFES
Saturday, May 9 • 1–3 PM • For All Ages
At The Bronx Museum (1040 Grand Concourse)
Free! Drop In (no RSVP is needed to participate)
Inspired by our current exhibitions, The Bronx Museum’s free Family Programs feature Educator- and artist-led art-making activities that are fun for all ages and accessible to young children and their caregivers.
For the Family Time program on Saturday, May 9, we are delighted to host artist Massiel Mafes! Mafes’ beautiful work, Forever, Forever (2026), is currently on view in our exhibition The Seventh AIM Biennial: Forms of Connection.
Artist Massiel Mafes describes her program, titled “Gathering Place,” as follows:
During this workshop, participants will learn to paint, cut, layer, and collage fabric pieces onto an 8 x 10 canvas to create small textile pieces reflecting their relationship with nature or a place, using abstract or representational imagery.
Participants are welcome to adhere the fabric pieces using glue or by hand-stitching. This hands-on experience offers insight into the labor-intensive and meditative process behind Massiel Mafes’ work, Forever, Forever, 2026, featured in The Seventh AIM Biennial: Forms of Connection.
This workshop allows participants to explore themes of place and memory through their own perspectives. Throughout the workshop, participants will work together, fostering conversation and creative collaboration.
This workshop is beginner-friendly and open to all ages. Participants are encouraged to bring their own fabrics from home to use them in their artwork.
Additional exhibiting artists will also be offering opportunities to engage with them and their work in the coming months. Subscribe to our email newsletter for updates!
About Massiel Mafes
ARTIST STATEMENT
Massiel Mafes (she/her) delves into her heritage and identity to explore allegory and narrative. She meticulously constructs fabric installations predominantly made of sewn pieces of her family’s second-hand clothes, which serves as a metaphor for her connection to her Cuban roots. Mafes employs painterly and quilting techniques to create figurative and abstract works, reimagining nuanced visions of home and belonging.
BIOGRAPHY
Massiel Mafes is a New York City-based artist from Miami, Florida. She received her MFA in Fine Arts at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. Mafes was awarded a 2025 AIM Fellowship at The Bronx Museum. She has also participated in residencies at The Sam and Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts, Vermont Studio Center, and JOYA: arte + ecología.
Participatory Budget Voting
Family Time 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.
Groups of any size organized privately and through a school, community center, or other entity must register through our Group Tours form at least one week in advance of their visit. Due to capacity limitations, groups are not engaged through this program. Thank you for understanding.
Images by Argenis Apolinario.