Sat, Sep 13 - Wed, Oct 8  2014

The Andrew Freedman home presents The Bronx Artist Documentary Project (BXADP): a borough wide collaboration involving 30 photographers documenting 80 Bronx-based visual artists at work in their studios or other Bronx venues; curated by the Bronx Documentary Center. The show includes work by Dutch photographer Chantal Heijnen and is on view from September 13 until October 8.

Conceived of by the Bronx Artists Collective in partnership with the Bronx Documentary Center, the BXADP involves over one hundred individuals, in celebration of this year’s Bronx County Centennial. The goal of the Bronx Artist Documentary Project is to increase awareness of the visual artists who work in the Bronx and who enrich the cultural fabric of the borough with their art.

A public exhibition of the photographs will be on view at the Andrew Freedman Home, 1125 Grand Concourse, from September 13th – October 8th, 2014, with an opening reception on the evening of Saturday September 13th.  Additional community events and activities are planned to augment the exhibition.

About the artist

Chantal Heijnen (b. 1976) is a Dutch portrait and documentary photographer currently based in the Bronx, New York.  Chantal works for international magazines and newspapers. She’s also deeply committed to her long-term personal projects. In 2011 she created the project  Bronxites.

Heijnen graduated with Honors from the Amsterdam Photo Academy in May 2008. She also holds a BA in social work. For 12 years Chantal counseled refugees and immigrants in The Netherlands. This work influences the themes of her photography e.g. human resilience, survival and identity. Because of her interest in people and their stories she creates intimate portraits with sensitivity, compassion and respect.

Garden of Artists

The Bronx Artist Documentary Project is fostering connections between artists and photographers from all corners of the borough and from various styles, backgrounds and generations, cultivating opportunities for collaboration and greater communication within the artistic community at large.

The exhibition of photographs and the special events, tours and discussions scheduled to complement the exhibition will encourage greater appreciation of and interaction between artists and the community.  The special outdoor “Garden of Artists” participatory event on Saturday, September 27th will allow visitors to observe the creation of art firsthand and to interact with the artists as they work.

With plans underway to publish a high-quality art book of these photographs, the Bronx Artist Documentary Project and the photographers and artists involved in it will live on in the historical record of the borough.

Consisting of Daniel Hauben (painter), Judith Lane (writer), Michael Kamber (photographer) and Jeanine Alfieri (sculptor), the Bronx Artists Collective came together in 2013 with the specific goal of bringing attention to the artistic community currently working in the Bronx.  With several decades of experience between them, the Collective has curated and produced exhibitions large and small both in the U.S. and overseas.