The Bronx is home to musicians from a wide array of cultural backgrounds playing the sounds of their communities: the Dominican bachata, punta from the Garifuna community, hiplife from Ghana, and fiddle music at Irish céilidhs, among many others.
The Boogie Down Booth is a temporary installation that pays tribute to the musical legacy of the Bronx, as we celebrate the past, present, and future cultures of the borough. The Booth provides seating, lighting, and acoustics derived from the rich musical heritage of the borough. It features music genres such as hip-hop, jazz, Latin jazz, salsa, waranagua, and even Andean San Juanitos, which are all significant to the Bronx.
The installation tests elements that could make the site a more hospitable place for residents and visitors alike, including:
- Solar-powered LED lights
- Seating for folks to mingle, have lunch, listen to music, or wait for the bus
- Directional speakers playing local music in an effort to mask construction and traffic noise
- Rotating mural for local students and community members to create and change
- Community bulletin board to share neighborhood events and ideas
- List of featured local artists with web links to experience more of their music
Our Boogie Down Booths have been made possible in part by support from:
NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, NYC Department of Transportation, NYC Department of Small Business Services, ArtPlace America, Boricua College, Bronx Community Board 3, Bronx Music Heritage Center, BronxWorks, Children’s Aid Society, Design Trust for Public Space, DreamYard, East Bronx Academy for the Future, Southern Boulevard Merchant Association, Surdna Foundation
Special thanks:
We are especially grateful to Chat Travieso and Neil Donnelly with the Design Trust for Public Space for the design concept for the first Boogie Down Booth, and to Chat Travieso for his innovative design of the most recent two Booths.
Finally, this project would not be possible with the thousands of community members who shared their hopes, ideas, concerns, skepticism, talents, and encouragement that shaped surveying, visioning, design, installation and programming at and around each Boogie Down Booth. Special thanks to all of the talented musicians who have lent their sweet sounds to the Booth, and to the amazing and vibrant communities on Southern Boulevard and Melrose in the Bronx!