#baxarts

[rui-drawsbox]

hey i love ur baxarts. but ur neighbors suck ass so bad oml 😭😭😭😭

They do!! My family was pissed to say the least🥰 fortunately we talked with the company and we have light again!

[baxarts]

What brought us here... | Paloma McGregor, Artistic Director | May 22, 2019

Greetings,

In high school I ran track. One of my toughest events was the mile relay, in which I often ran the 3rd or last leg. This time of year reminds me of track season; at BAX, it marks the baton pass between last year’s vision and the next. So as we head down the home stretch of this year’s AIR shows and student performances, we are also eagerly making plans for our 2019-20 season - which will be my first full season as Artistic Director. I can’t tell you exactly what we’ve got planned, but it will build on and extend BAX’s history of inviting broad communities to make an artistic home here.

It’s not lost on me, as I shape this new role at BAX, that I am carrying a lot of people’s hopes with me...both folks who have called BAX home, and folks who aspire to do so. I’m BAX’s first Artistic Director and the first person of color in executive leadership.

What brought me here? While I could say many things, I’ll focus on two critical factors. 

I am an artist and organizer whose practice is rooted in collaboration and prioritizes the emergent and embodied. BAX’s nearly three decades of investing in process and doing the work is an essential foundation for me to build on. 

In 2016, BAX made a bold move. After several years of  committing resources to supporting Undoing Racism trainings for all staff and board, the organization augmented its mission to include a firm commitment to equity in action: “All our constituents join an organization whose staff and Board is actively engaged in challenging the manifestations of whiteness, able-bodiedness and privilege.”

I had just completed my second year as an AIR when this language was created, and founder Marya Warshaw included me among the stakeholders invited to help shape this articulation. Now that I’m visioning my first full season at BAX, I feel the great potentials of the baton pass that has happened between me and our pioneering founder, and the shared values and practices that made that handoff possible. While I am her successor, I am not here to do her work. I am here to do mine.

For more than a decade, I have worked to center the voices of Black artists and POC communities through creative practice under the umbrella of Angela’s Pulse, which I co-founded with my sister, director Patricia McGregor. This work has been necessarily intersectional, done in partnership and accountability with folks shepherding values-aligned institutions and initiatives.

That’s part of my charge here at BAX, to continue creating spaces and forging partnerships that center the visions of folks whose histories, bodies, labor, communities  and hopes have historically been marginalized. It’s a foundation of BAX’s mission. And it’s the foundation of my lifelong practice.

So as we round the curve into next season, I hope you can feel the ways we are pushing at our growing edges, striving to make our mission manifest. And I hope you feel invited to run this next leg of the visioning with us. Like a relay team, we can’t do it alone.

With great hope,

Paloma

[ganessajames]

TONIGHT! BAX (@baxarts) is honoring these awesome folks and orgs doing work in the performing arts and social justice space.So many faves on this list! @onliestismusic is glad to offer musi. To the celebration. Come warm your hearts with us. Fam: DM for discount code! #ACRE, #EvaYaaAsantewaa, #IrondaleEnsembleProject, #TheLaundromatProject, #DancingWhileBlack Paloma McGregor, and #LetterOfMarque at #BAXArts.❤️ TIX: https://events.bax.org/2019-bax-awards/ (at BAX | Brooklyn Arts Exchange) https://www.instagram.com/p/BuhIdoThh3R/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1gd6j7crvlgf5

[youthworks]

Sunday’s show! Families and friends supporting these young artists came out to celebrate creativity. They have been working so hard since December to put on a show that they cared about, that they made and worked on and edited and tested and re-edited until they came out with something they were proud of. Who knows what new places Youthworks will go next year? Stay tuned...

[nando-em-brooklyn]

Diane, Sara and I welcome the audience to "The Struggle in US" at BAX. We intoduced First Amendment Santuary Spaces to a new audience and raised money for BAX and the Center for Anti-Violence Education. #1stAmendmentSanctuary #freespeechzone #resist #baxteens #baxarts (at BAX | Brooklyn Arts Exchange)

[skaythesimmer]

This Nour Baxart! I’m hoping you can get her a bit easier if the Sim Files Share accept my account! But, for now, you can find her at the sims gallery @Sam52518 ! Thanks! 

[mxenigmatic]

"Observing the unknown, hoping 4 #peace at 🏠" #Sketches & #Drawings made during #covid19 🗺 #Doodling has always been a therapeutic tool 4 me to cope, with my #ocd #fears & overwhelming #feelings that I find in my own #life, & navigating my hyper sensitive #body in a hostile #world. #Artists often #design a vision to a #utopia or an alternative #reality 4 the #public to #heal in their lives, when bombarded with hurdles, & plagued by the confusion of unprocessed pain. Our suffering is often exploited, 4 the comforts of others, usually those with privilege who aren't conflicted with #MentalHealth issues or a marginalized #identity like being #nonbinary #trans #poc #womxyn #jewish etc!!! Maybe one day as a #society we can let our aggression come out on paper, create #art than harm the #souls & 💖s of others. Hopefully then, we won't be at #war with eachother & living in our minds with much turmoil. #TikkunOlam Look out 4 @theaterttpeople 2020 #ensemble where my #designs #dance & #performance will be included!!! @baxarts @bkartscouncil @townstages @juliacavagna (at Central Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CA51XgtjLVw/?igshid=1fikkbcqtectl

[tensidestoeverystory]

#Repost @dance.nyc (@get_repost) ・・・ It was a great turn out today at the City Hall Rally as artists and culture enthusiasts joined together to demonstrate support for renewed government funding of #NYC #culture. There is currently a proposed $6 million cut to the cultural budget, and attendees told council members we want #NoCutsToCulture! You can offer testimony advocating for continued cultural support at the final hearing this Thursday at 2:00 p.m. or by contacting your council member directly! #NYCInspires #Dance #Dance4All #ArtsAdvocacy [IMAGE: Dave Archuletta (Chief Development Officer, New York Live Arts), Alejandra Duque Cifuentes (Executive Director, Dance/NYC), Sara Roer (Operations Manager, BAX), Fernando Maneca (Marketing & Communications Director, BAX), Vannessa Adato (Executive Director, BAX), Gonzalo Cassals (Executive Director, Leslie Lohman Museum for Gay and Lesbian Art), Christopher Núñez (Manager of JEI Initiatives, Dance/NYC)] @nylivearts @ale_duque_cif @baxarts @leslielohmanmuseum @ny4ca https://www.instagram.com/p/BxvmVGtHCuh/?igshid=bpeenaevm5qm

[niccib28]

This kid really knows how to dress for the theatre! Love you @3211nellienellstar! #felinefashion #catearsheadband #kittystockings #leopardprint #sequins #fauxfur @baxarts @ncdances (at BAX | Brooklyn Arts Exchange)

[melanie-greene]

What's not to love! #dwbhands #dwbfellows2017 @baxarts Photo by @purposeproductions

[bax-brooklyn-arts-exchange]

NEW TUMBLR URL

Thank you for visiting BAX’s Tumblr! 

We have moved to http://baxarts.tumblr.com/ 

[baxarts]

THANK YOU @theother5th and all our neighbors who shared their food and merriment at #tasteoffifth #greatfood #greatneighbors #BAXarts #notforprofit #smallbusiness #shoplocal #shoplocaleveryday #fundraising (at BAX | Brooklyn Arts Exchange) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwZ_3EChk1z/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=tj9hddc253l5

[ganessajames]

@mbdancembdance's gorgeous work "Desire: A Sankofa Dream" @baxarts. A deep, and beautiful conjuring still resonating with me. (at BAX | Brooklyn Arts Exchange) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv-lkYSBz4N/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=i9fstah8pfmm

[youthworks]

Sunday’s show! These young artists were so focused and professional, and really supported each other as a community. Individual artists really blossomed in creating pieces to reflect their identity and experiences. Duos and groups learned how to collaborate and negotiate space and creative license in a kind and productive way. I wholeheartedly believe the pieces were so good BECAUSE they were made in an environment that’s both nurturing and boundary-pushing. 

[nando-em-brooklyn]

Getting ready ... this is the line-up ... come over raise a glass for fun and raise some funds for @baxarts. #grumpyfilms #blponenightonly (at littlefield)

[baxarts]

Education and Opportunity: Interns share their stories

April 2019 Maya Gonzalez

Throughout the year, BAX hires two interns to work in the Education Department: a Community Outreach/YouthWorks Intern, hired to help facilitate our YouthWorks Festival & Teen Arts Conference and assist with our public school partners/teachers in residence as part of our Arts in Education programming, and an Education Intern, chosen to work closely within our walls and with our teachers and students on a day-to-day, internal basis, assisting with classes, student concerts and the like.

BAX strives to bring people who are transparently moving through the world in socially equitable ways into the community. This mirrors BAX’s work with organizations like the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond (PISAB) and Race Forward. Our staff members attend meetings, seminars, and workshops dedicated to developing and improving upon racial and social equity within organizations, especially through the lens of serving the arts community.

Two of our interns for the 2018-19 Education season are Brooke Rucker (Education Intern) and Charlie Fischetti (Community Outreach/YouthWorks Intern). At this point in our season, Brooke has left after being here from August through January, and Charlie has just extended his stay with us to continue working with BAX until this summer. The two had a slight overlap, however did not work side-by-side on a lot of the same projects, as they have had different timelines here.

Above: Charlie Fischetti, Community Outreach/YouthWorks Intern. 

Below (L to R): Roxy Gordon, Education Assistant/Birthday Party Coordinator, and Brooke Rucker, former Education Intern.

Charlie, Brooke and I recently sat down for a quick sip at a café nearby BAX. On a sunny day, we had a joyful little reunion (as neither Charlie or I had seen much of Brooke since January).  We settled in for a moment, grabbed some coffees, and got into it.

What was your general experience throughout the season working at BAX?

BR: BAX’s principles of racial equity and gender equality were already aligned with what I was interested in. [And] then being with the Education Department, I was really able to start practicing these things, especially with children, because they’re already so young, and still so impressionable…I began to really start to notice the language I was using with children through that lens. When I entered [this position] at BAX those were the conversations we just kept having: how are we engaging with these kids, and how are we engaging with these parents?

CF: Yeah, I had the same sort of experience. All of my admin work became informed by those values and I kept kind of going back to them, in things that are beyond, like, strict data entry.

We got into discussing the differences between having these kinds of conversations with kids and adults. Something we’ve all started to notice when working with or around children is that they are often much more intuitive about these things than we might have expected them to be. And yet along with that, we’ve all witnessed or heard about moments where their learned social conventions are challenged and we see a glimpse of curiosity, or are met with questions rather than confirmations. It’s quite eye-opening to think about this comparatively between conversations we’ve had with adults and with children.

BR: I feel like it’s so engrained in us…like we don’t even realize how deeply our gender roles live in us…I remember reading [a teacher]’s post, and they were talking about how they were trying to introduce themselves to their students: you can call me, you know, Ms., Mr., Mx., it’s like those little things you don’t even think about, like when introducing yourself; what do the kids, you know, call you?

CF: And the teachers have really good insight into those things… gender is something that affects everybody, and race also affects everybody, but people often only think about those things affecting people who are marginalized by gender and by race. But it really is a part of everybody’s experiences, and I think [it’s important] if you have privileges or disadvantages, to bring those up; that [privilege] doesn’t mean you can’t talk about it and that it doesn’t affect you.

I find these conversations easier to have with kids [than adults].

We began recalling moments we’ve encountered where kids say things or respond to prompts in a conventionally gendered manner. For example, asking kids to assume a character and noticing that all the girls chose feminine archetypes, like princesses or fairies, and all the boys chose more masculine archetypes, like superheroes. How do we approach and respond to these moments?

CF: It’s not like you can’t be princesses, but think about the other options!

BR: I feel like it’s more like, opening their awareness; like its ok if you wanna be this, but you can also be this too, it is acceptable.

CF: I think especially in creative things, especially with kids, it really reveals a lot about things that kids are learning and are exposed to at early ages. And it’s never too early to talk about those issues, because they’re already being exposed to it… Yeah I mentioned something, about having a boyfriend once; this kid was like “my hair is purple,” and I was like, “oh yeah that’s my boyfriend’s hair color,” and a lot of the kids were like, alright that’s fun, but then there were a few who kind of challenged me on it, or would say, “that’s weird,” and I said, “why is it weird?”

What as individual people did you bring to the table in your position?

BR: For me, it’s definitely being a black woman. I feel like anywhere I go, when I’m entering a space, bringing that, is like bringing everything. I think it was great for kids to get to see that in the space; black kids and white kids, because I feel like we are always “oh the black people, you know cater to the black kids and they’re their role models, but it’s also important for the white kids to be able to see that black people are in these positions [and spaces].

CF: I’ve brought more video and photo knowledge, and I think that has extended beyond education, which has been really fun. I’m working towards making changes in how…especially in education, like opening up documentation conversations with young kids, like there’s no correct answer but I think having sort of base line, ethical rules is a good place to start, ‘cause it can get, complicated and voyeuristic and seem like taking advantage when that’s obviously the opposite of what we’re trying to do.

And also as a trans person, I’ve been enjoying navigating that, especially since this is my first work experience where I don’t have to—people will gender me correctly if I don’t say anything, so it’s interesting, now I have the option to bring it up. I’ve not always been in spaces like that. And I think there’s also a balance between wanting to be a representation for kids but then also knowing that my experience is still a slim representation of the trans experience, so I think having other trans and gender non-conforming people in the space has been great, because I’ve always been like, the trans person in the space.

What were some challenges/questions you came up against?          

BR: I think for me, my only challenge, per se, was that I didn’t know how to advocate or ask for more, ‘cause there were some times where I felt like I wanted to take on more or I wanted to learn more in the admin world. Everyone is super busy, and you don’t always have time to just sit down and teach someone things, but looking back at it now, I wish that I would have. Because that’s what the internship is for, like for you to learn from this organization. I don’t know if it’s necessarily categorized as a challenge, but just looking back it’s something that I wish that I would have done more of.

CF: Yeah, I think the fact that my internship has been extended now, going in I wanted to be more involved with marketing, and that is happening now, which is really great. Cross-departmental collaboration and things like this [are some things] I think a lot of organizations struggle with.

I didn’t really have any experience with kids before, so I think that was one of my biggest—I don’t know if challenge is even the right word, it was just new for me. There’s no like, if this situation happens, here’s what to do, you just, gotta roll with it…sometimes kids come up with things and I’m [not sure] how to respond.

Highlights, favorite part of your job, any moments that stood out?

BR: I do have this one moment. For [two of our After School Pick Up students, we’ll call them Ella and Jake for these purposes], their parent personally spoke to me when I first started picking them up and requested that I hold their hands, when we cross the street. So [Ella] like, always would hold my hand, like she loved holding hands but you know, [Jake] wasn’t really about it. [Laughs] So anyway one day we were walking back and I had Ella’s hand and all of a sudden, I felt this hand, reaching for mine, while we were crossing the street, and it was [Jake]; he had just put his hand in mine and I was like, my heart right now! [Chuckles] I was like, “don’t say anything Brooke, just keep walking.” [Laughs]

CF: In YouthWorks, there were these two kids waiting for their dress rehearsal, it was maybe a day before the show, and this one girl was really panicking like, “oh no I don’t know my lines, I don’t know the positions…” and I just leaned down and sat with her and was just said like, “Well, what can I do to make you more comfortable?” I really didn’t try to impose; I just said, “Communicate to me your needs,” which I think is an important practice for kids. We kind of talked through what her actual worries were; because sometimes kids will say something but they actually mean something else, but they don’t know that they mean something else. We worked through communicating her actual needs.

Pieces of advice for the next person stepping into your position?

BR: I told Aviya [our current Education Intern] to take agency in the position, to make it her own. Go in there to help, but also to take. Take everything that you can, and don’t feel bad about really showing that you’re hungry and you’re really doing this to feed yourself.

CF: I think both of our positions, there are definitely tasks that you have to do throughout, but don’t be afraid to go beyond those, and bring your experiences, your passions…everything is valuable, and being honest about what you need is important, whether that is being underwhelmed or overwhelmed. I’ve always felt like if there is too much on my plate, [at BAX] I feel comfortable going to somebody and asking for that, asking for prioritizing certain things which has always been an issue for me, I’m usually just like, “well I’m just gonna handle it on my own and try to do all of it. But that’s unhealthy…it’s a point of growth.

BR: it was a really great internship. And it came exactly when I needed it. I had just moved to New York, and I was just looking for something to grab a hold of, and it popped up; and I met so many people through it who have now become my community.

CF: BAX really is the intersection of a lot of organizations.

Brooke is currently working as Visioning Partner Assistant for Urban Bush Women, and writes for her blog, (Brooke)lynn. Check out her work on her website: brookerucker.com.

Charlie will be joining us as a Lead Counselor for our Summer Arts Program. This year, he was an Assistant Cameraperson for "Overstigmatized 2: The Stigma Stops Here," a feature-length thriller produced by Global Action Project about the role of criminalization and police violence towards trans womxn of color. (see the trailer HERE). This summer he will also be resuming production as a cinematographer for a film directed by his friend Ashley Turzio. It's the story of a single immigrant mother who leaves her child behind and moves to New York to give her child a chance at a better life.

Brooke and Charlie are pictured here on the right, along with BAX’s Education Director, Lucia Scheckner, Education Manager, Ashley Renee Thaxton-Stevenson, and current Education Intern, Aviya Hernstadt.