It’s been two decades since Riverdale Cinema at West 259th Street and Riverdale Avenue closed its doors for good. A generation of moviegoers and aspiring filmmakers were without a venue in this North Riverdale neighborhood, and without a source of art. They once again had to bow to the undisputed ruler of the East Coast art world — Lower Manhattan. more

At first glance, some of the paintings looked like reasonable approximations of their source material. Others looked like they were forged in the fever pitch of a dreamlike trance. The painters were children. The source material was a drawing of Leonardo da Vinci’s oft-ballyhooed painting, the Mona Lisa. The setting was Yo-Burger. more

Dan Harelick arrived home from his job as design director for an advertising agency, and realized a total creative hole in his being. At 45, he was content, but not happy. Nor fulfilled. more

There once was a bookstore on Riverdale Avenue that welcomed late novelist Toni Morrison. It was the same bookstore that sold Salman Rushdie’s “Satanic Verses” in the late ‘80s despite the dangers that involved (as evidenced by the firebombing of the offices this very paper). more

At first glance, Suzanne Hockstein seems like any other punk rock mom, with dyed hair and tattoos on her arms. In truth, her past could cover the whole history of mid- to late-20th century counter-culture, almost making it look hopeful, ecstatic and even energized for the future. more

Imagine spending an entire youth, adulthood and middle age doing a single craft. One that’s laborious, specialized and dangerous all at once. more

With light from the sunset flowing through the studio window, Kymia Nawabi kneels before a wax mold of her own body, dragging the glinting teeth of a saw over the leg. Nawabi’s project focuses on the human body, decorating it with glittering, painted elements of nature, ranging from pinecones to simple sticks. She then makes armor out of it. more

The late day sun illuminates a handmade curtain. A baby rests during a game of Candy Crush. A network of hands arranges dominoes on a table. These are all scenes from the lives of older Bronx residents documented in photographs exhibited for the first time at the Bronx Documentary Center. more

As many an open mic poet knows, finding a decent venue that doesn’t run too late and has an audience that’s receptive and respectful seems like a myth. Bushwick warehouses at 2 a.m., are filled with drunks and bitter writers. Greenwich Village hideouts are brimming with “flower power” ghosts from the past. But then there’s An Beal Bocht Café. more

Helping an ever-changing community see themselves reflected in a century-old museum is not an easy task. Laura Vookles, curatorial department chair at the Hudson River Museum, wasn’t focused on the ease of that task. She was more concerned about action. more