Youth by Youth Art Show at the Casa Frela Gallery

 

70 by Milka Montero 

This Saturday, December 8th at 5:00 p.m., the first ever Production of Youth by Youth Art Show will take place at the Casa Frela Gallery in Harlem at 47 West 119th Street (between Lenox and Fifth Avenues).

The Production of Youth by Youth is the newest after-school development program of the All Stars Project, Inc. and is designed for young people (16-21) who want to develop into cultural producers. The PYBY students come from neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs. Four young visual artists (and one fashion designer)—Diandra Anerum, Indira Tapias, Angeliqua McNair, Milka Montero and Vorchmon Roongsri—all members in this semester’s PYBY class, will have their work displayed at Casa Frela this Saturday from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

The paintings, drawings and gowns are for sale at no more than $125.00, with the artists keeping 80% of the sale price. Attendance at the show, which is being produced by the PYBY students, is free. It will include a brief program at which some of the student producers and Dan Friedman, the program’s director, will speak, as well as a fashion show of five gowns made especially for the event by Vorchmon Roongsri, a senior at John Bowne High School. After the gallery show, there will be a concert by the innovative jazz violinist and vocalist Kersten Stevens. (Tickets for the concert, which starts at 8:00 p.m. are $14.)

This unique event is made possible by gallery owner Lawrence Rodriquez who invited the students to organize the show after he led a workshop with them last month. Rodriquez, a former leader in the fashion industry, founded the gallery four years ago. It is located in a restored historic brownstone that was designed by Stanford White in 1885. Casa Frela is a commercial gallery that for the most part features artists of color and women artists, along with group shows organized around socially-engaged themes. Through its Saturday night jazz series and other events, it is emerging as a major Harlem cultural institution.

For more information about the Production of Youth by Youth and its mother organization, the All Stars Project, Inc.. go to www.allstars.org. For more information about Casa Frela (including directions) go to www.CASAFRELA.com; concert tickets can also be purchased at that site. To learn more about jazz artist Kersten Stevens, go to www.kerstenstevens.com. Contact: Dan Friedman, Director (212-356-8450) or dfriedman@allstars.org.

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