Hauben elaborates:

"The platform of the Burnside Station (#4 Train) in The Bronx, is a unique one in that it is in the middle of the uptown and downtown tracks. The view is classic.  One’s eye follows the tracks as they merge together just in front of the station and swoop down through the city towards the distant magical Manhattan skyline. 

 
I had made an etching of this view years ago (see below), and had thought for years about painting it. I now had the additional reason; of this being the closest station to Bronx Community College, and thereby especially relevant to the commission."

"Having recently completed the artwork for the Freeman Street Station (the 2/5 line in The Bronx), I put in a call to my friends at the MTA inquiring about  how to get permission to paint on the platform.

 
A month, many emails, a short essay, and conversations with several MTA employees later, I got the green light and showed up one morning at the station with all my gear. I told the woman in the booth that she should have received a message giving me permission to paint on the platform. She looked at me quizzically. No message. She was good enough to make some calls (in between attending to customers). I waited.
 

Finally, she informed  me, 'Well, I had no luck finding anyone who knows anything about this. I guess I did everything I could do.' Chagrined, I asked, 'Do you mean I have to go home?' 'No,' she said, 'I’ll buzz you in.'

Thus began a four day engagement on The Burnside platform, with strong winds buffeting my canvas, friendly conductors stopping to check on my progress, and the incessant screech and rattle of trains coming and going."

We think the phone calls, emails, winds, screeches and rattling were all worth it! What an amazing piece! What do you think?

One things for sure, the next time he wants to paint on a platform, we bet he can skip the phone calls, emails and essays just by asking the station attendant for permission! 

Hauben says:

"In 2008, my friend Howard was offered a 13th floor Park Reservoir apartment, and invited me over to check it out. Walking into the living room for the first time, I caught a glimpse of the magnificent view, and made a beeline to the window. Facing west, it looks out across the Major Deegan, the #1 train on Broadway and up the hill to Riverdale, while to the north one can see the great expanse of Van Cortlandt Park. I turned to Howard and gave him the thumbs-up. Within days of his taking the apartment, and before he had a chance to start filling the place with furniture, I insinuated my easel and myself. I made two paintings: one of this view (seen below), and one from his bedroom window which faces northeast. This panel (below) is based on a photograph taken of me while I was painting there."

Thanks for sharing with us Daniel. We look forward to seeing the next 20!!

The All-America City Patch Pack has finally arrived and from The Bronx has been hard at work creating the "All-America City Tech Hoodie."

What's an 'All-America' City? We'll tell you! Have you ever seen these signs while running around The BX?

15 years ago (1997), The Bronx was named an 'All-America' City by The National Civic League.  This prestigious award "recognizes communities whose citizens work together to identify and tackle community-wide challenges and achieve uncommon results." (Source: Wikipedia)  Bronx residents have been working hard to improve our hometown and we designed our new products to pay respect to their work and community pride. The patches are inspired by the All-America City award and The Bronck Family Crest/Bronx County Seal, but with our unique BX twist. 

"The All-America City Patch Pack" contains The Bronx Vibe Patch, The Bronx Seal Patch, The Bronx Shield Patch and the Ne Cede Malis Patch and we expect Bronxites far and wide the ability to creatively brand their gear and show the world where they're from!

In 2009, Bronx artist and a good friend of ours, Daniel Hauben was commissioned to create all the artwork for the new Robert A. M. Stern Library and instructional building being constructed on the campus of Bronx Community College. One of the largest public art commissions The Bronx has seen in decades, the twenty-two paintings (all of them views of The Bronx) have just been completed!

The paintings will be installed in May 2012, just in time for the ribbon cutting ceremony for the building. In September 2012, there will be big gala event celebrating the commissioned artwork as well as an exhibition of Hauben's paintings related to the project in the Hall of Fame Gallery on the BCC campus.

To share this epic achievement with our fans, "from The Bronx" will be posting one of Hauben's commissioned paintings on our blog every 2 weeks leading up to the September event.  Alongside the artwork will be a short story or anecdote related to the painting. The first painting (below) is titled "View of the Harlem River Valley."

Hauben says:

"This piece is one of two large paintings (10 ft wide!) which will be located in the stairwells leading up to the main reading room on the second floor of the library building. The painting depicts the view from the Target parking lot where Danny first painted on location in the summer of 2006. 

It is an ideal painting location because of it's elevated vantage point, expansive views (and free parking!). Coincidentally, it also offers a view of The Bronx Community College campus. The lot is located at the exact point where the Harlem River bends westward toward the Hudson. On the east bank (the left side of the painting) climbs University Heights. Perched at the summit is the BCC campus with the recognizable dome-topped Gould Memorial Library fronted by the colonnade housing the Hall of Fame for Great Americans. On the west side of the river is Washington Heights and the Inwood section of upper Manhattan.  With the majestic backdrop of the Manhattan skyline and the many bridges connecting the two boroughs, this is truly one of New York City's great urban landscapes." 

We couldn't agree more and can't wait to see the rest of the commissioned work!

Whew! The Arthur Ave Holiday Pop-Up Shop is over and, just like our last shop in Melrose, we're sad to see it go. We had a great time meeting and talking with everyone that came out and hearing all of your BX stories.

The shop got some good press and you can check out the clips from NY1, Good Day NY, and Fordham's WFUV 90.7 Public Radio and two articles in The Bronx Times.

Television Pieces:

Newspaper Articles:

After our appearance on Good Day NY, Entertainment Anchor Jill Nicolini shared this pic of herself wearing our Bronx Vibe T-Shirt and getting chummy with Stone Temple Pilots/Velvot Revolver front man Scott Weiland - although it doesn't really look like he noticed.  

NY1 came by the fromTheBronx Pop-Up Shop this week to report on our Bronx merch and let the rest of New York know what we've been up to. Click the pic for a link to the video:

Made In NY: Bronx Businesses Display Borough Pride

By: Shazia Khan

Online business “From The Bronx” brings the borough’s flavor out in a different way.

Using their own designs, reproductions of existing art and those of Bronx artists they commission, John Martin and brothers Anthony Ramirez II and Paul Ramirez produce prints, posters, apparel and accessories beaming Bronx pride. And as they say, necessity is the mother of invention.

“We were looking for Bronx decorations to put up on our office walls when we realized there really weren't any out there. Then we decided just to take matters in our own hands,” says Martin.

From The Bronx has been in business for less than two years, but it already has more than 90,000 Facebook fans.

Not all of the products From The Bronx offers are made in New York, but the owners do have an open call out to designers and manufacturers in the city.

“At a competitive price, we would prefer to make everything right in the Bronx,” says Martin.

But for now, "From The Bronx" has plenty of made-in-New-York gift ideas to have you covered this holiday season. Get a closer look at the Arthur Avenue retail market or online.

This holiday season, the Arthur Avenue Retail Market will have even more Bronx flavor than usual.   

Beginning today, from The Bronx, a local business dedicated to fostering Bronx pride through the arts, will be a featured vendor in the center of The Arthur Avenue Retail Market located at 2344 Arthur Ave in The Bronx. Throughout the holiday season, all of the Bronx-themed artwork, souvenirs and apparel available at our fromTheBronx.com online store will be available for sale in person, including Bronx wall posters, Bronx coffee mugs and the company’s original line of Bronx apparel. We will also unveil newly designed hoodies and accessories next week!

In addition, the “from The Bronx” Holiday Pop-Up Shop will feature work from acclaimed Bronx artists, including photographer Ricky Flores, illustrator Stephanie Rodriguez, and urban landscape painter Daniel Hauben. Hauben will be on hand throughout the next three weeks to paint the Arthur Avenue Retail Market and streetscape, setting up his easel wherever inspiration strikes him.  

Last but not least, the pop-up shop experience will include live musical performances and a grand holiday event to celebrate from The Bronx’s partnership with the retail market. Stay tuned for more info!    

Two weeks ago, the world found out that J-Lo doesn't always come back to The Bronx, even when she says she does.

In her now-infamous Fiat commercial, it was hard not to notice the beautiful mural that J-Lo's body double drives by at the 0:06 mark. In a lot of ways the commercial's directors were smart -- they knew the mural was a powerful representation of what the Bronx is, so they made sure to included it. On the other hand, the Chrysler Corporation (Fiat's owner) took a while to acknowledge the mural's creators -- the legendary Tats Cru -- and to come to an agreement that would allow Chrysler to continue using this masterpiece in their ad.

What very few people know is fromTheBronx's involvement in helping turn this stunning piece of art from a concept into a reality.

In September of last year, we teamed up with Bronx Community Solutions and the 41st Precinct to host the "I Am The Bronx" Live Graffiti Event and Block Party below the Whitlock Ave train station. On hand were graffiti crews from all over the City, including Brooklyn's D.Y.M., G.F.R. from Queens and, of course, our very own Tats Cru. The result was The Bronx's first permanent open air museum, which each crew's work paying homage and respect to our borough and its culture.

Meet November's Bronx Artist of The Month, Illustrator Stephanie Rodriguez! Steph's got a BFA in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts and is currently working from her tiny studio in The Bronx. She creates illustrations, comics, and stop-motion animations all infused with some Bronx Vibe and soon you'll be able to buy some of her work right here on fromTheBronx.com!

In the meantime, visit her website at http://stephguez.com/, check out her work and let her know fromTheBronx sent you! 

Another year, ANOTHER SITE!! Big changes this time around making it easier for you guys to buy stuff and for us to get it to you. Browse around and let us know what you think!