Bongoes, a bounce house, and a barber overtook Garden Street in the Bronx on Saturday, October 25, for the first event of the “Harvest Arts Festival.” The block party, sanctioned by Bronx Connect’s Release the Grip North branch and Thrive Collective, brought artists of all backgrounds to the community to create a day filled with youth activities, creativity, and awareness for gun violence and community improvement.
Live music performances and beats played through Garden Street all throughout the festival
“When you bring the community together, and different cultures come together, we have a better understanding of each other,” Arthur Harris, the Violence Interrupter at Release the Grip, said. “It gives more respect, more morale to the community. It’s more sociable, and that’s what we’re lacking.”
Release the Grip (RTG) is a branch of Bronx Connect whose mission is to provide wraparound service to high-risk youth (aged 14-24) in the community to keep them off the streets and help change their mindset toward life, which in turn creates a shift in the community. Thrive Collective, which partners with RTG, works to create hope and opportunity through arts and mentoring in public schools. The organization brings artists together to create public murals and assist programs throughout New York City. On Saturday, the two groups brought various creators, musicians, and community members together to give youth and adults in the community a space to explore their creativity and connect with focal members of each organization.
Children spray painted two large canvasses at the festival, led and assisted by Kell and Nicholas Collazo.
Raissa Oliveira da Silva is a fine artist who has been working with Thrive Collective for over a year. She led the Art Direction to create a mural on two 250 square foot walls at PS/MS 183Q earlier this year. At the Harvest Arts Festival, Da Silva assisted the youth in painting a scene of plants backdropped by the New York City skyline.
Raissa Oliveira Da Silva signing her finished work
Arthur Harris posing with Da Silva’s finished work
Across from da Silva, Victor Molina set up his drum circle next to the bounce house, giving attendees the chance to learn rhythms on his instruments. A Bronx native, Molina’s goal is to inspire kids to connect with music and alleviate the daily stress they face.
“The kids gotta know about music, they gotta know about the drums,” Molina (middle, blue hat) said.
Throughout the afternoon, youth bounced from table to table, getting a haircut at one station, face painting at the next, and exploring their creativity at another. Thrive Collective’s RHYME program — which equips students with skills of emceeing, music and mentoring — also featured a performance of a song they produced and recorded, titled “God Knows.”
Members of the RHYME program perform their song “God Knows”
The Harvest Arts Festival had another event Saturday, November 1, at RTG’s West location at Nelson Playground in the Bronx, where these talented artists and community members returned to provide an inspiring day for nearby youth and families.
Leave a Reply