October 24 – October 29
We began the week with a photo essay on the Reclaim the Heights group that has sprung up in response to the chord struck by the Occupy Wall Street movement. The amazing pictures by Dj Boy take the viewer beyond the slogans, placards and protests to the meetings and gatherings where real participatory democracy is beginning to take shape.
I had the privilege of moderating a panel on marketing for artists at the Shabazz Center recently as part of NoMAA’s Technical Assistance Institute. The illustrious panel included new media artist Hector Canonge, visual artist Andrea Arroyo, the artistic director for Underworld Productions Gina Crusco and the co-founder of Fractious Press and Word Up Books Veronica Liu. Check out the site for pictures and a recap of the function.
Also, a big shout out is in order to Juan Bago and O for their latest smash spoof, Dominis in the Heights. The Uptown Collective was the first to premiere that sidesplitting parody. As this goes to print, the video has already garnered over 20,000 views. By the way, the UC was there to capture the premiere party that took place at Pick N Eat (4179 Broadway) on October 25th.
Coming a mere 2 months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the crash of American Airlines flight 587 paralyzed and petrified most of New York City and the world but hit our neighborhood especially hard as this was a flight bound for the Dominican Republic. Now, ten years after the tragic incident, filmmaker Jaydee is releasing a documentary that focuses on the families that were affected by the disaster. Jaydee sat down with our very own Dj Boy for a talk regarding the film and that fateful day. The filmmaker will be at Word Up Books (4157 Broadway @ 176 Street) for a special screening of the film on November 13th.
Washington Heights’ writer Robb Todd’s first book, Steal Me For Your Stories, is now available for pre-order. Robb’s prose is razor sharp, hilarious and decidedly left of center. Make sure you support this talented writer. Our beloved Uptown makes cameos throughout the book. We ended the week with an insightful and informative piece on Breast Cancer and food therapy by our wellness contributor and breast cancer survivor Eileen Z. Fuentes.
Keep checking us out at www.uptowncollective.com.
Led Black
Editor-in-Chief
The Uptown Collective
The UC’s mission is to become “the” definitive, transformative and community-based force impacting the arts, culture, business and New York City’s overall perception of Upper Manhattan. Its objective is to reset, reboot and positively redefine Uptown’s artistic, political, cultural and business spheres via the online space as well the collective’s initiatives and functions.
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