Artist’s exploration yields surprising impressions of the Bronx

Bronx artist Dondre Green is on a mission to change perceptions of his home borough. The artist, a graduate of the David A. Stein Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy (M.S./H.S. 141), recently had his first solo show and finished a film aimed at getting viewers to think beyond the symbols of hip-hop, Yankee Stadium and slums. The documentary, called “Bronx Narratives,” can be found on YouTube while his website is here.

Mr. Green’s portraits include people from outside the Bronx and their impressions of the borough.

Esi Warui of Brooklyn: 

“I am a big fan of the Brooklyn Museum, so presumably I figured there had to be a Bronx Museum. Funny enough, I asked a couple of my friends from the Bronx what they thought of it but all of them claimed it didn’t even exist.

“So when I got lost and asked a nearby deli if they knew where it was located and this was actually the first time they are hearing about it. That blew my mind…

“People underestimate the Bronx and are surprised to hear that there’s an arts scene, but it exists — just on a much smaller scale than other parts of NYC. We just need more creatives to invest in the Bronx because there’s definitely potential.”

Noah Billy of Riverdale: 

“I noticed that when I tell people I live in the Bronx, a ‘Damn That’s too far’ look comes across their face. I can sympathize, but these are also people who don’t clearly come here often.

“I think if they were taken on a little tour of the borough (I even count parts of Yonkers, they’d see that it can be a nice little getaway. With all the commotion I come across in the city, I’m grateful that I have a quiet place to lay my head at night. A place to unwind and recoup.”

Ryan Lyons of Brooklyn: 

“The South Bronx is the birthplace of hip-hop and that came out of the struggle. I’m from Baltimore and I’ve seen a lot of violent situations, but that still doesn’t make me think I was prepared without knowing where we were going. Honestly, Bushwick is a little tougher than the part of the Bronx I visited. It’s a perspective people have from the crack era that I think has created some preconceived notions.”

Sade Aguila of Queens: 

“The biggest surprise about this visit is that it not only change my outlook on a borough of a city I’ve lived in my whole life. It change my perspective about life in general, and how some things I just have to figure out and explore for myself.

“Now that I look back, I didn’t give it the benefit of the doubt, I allowed other influences such as people’s opinions and the media to ultimately create my thoughts about the Bronx.”