The Blessing of the Bronx River
The Blessing of the Bronx River, 2009
Through this blessing I honor the Bronx River and acknowledge the value of water, a resource one must treat with care and respect.
Prayer Lessons, 2012
Lampman Chapel, Union Theological Seminary, New York, NY
Directed by Cecilia deWolf
I attended weekly services at five congregations in the South Bronx. The intention of these visits was to listen attentively to the yearnings, needs, petitions, clamors and praises expressed by hundreds of Bronxites when engaged with neighbors, family members, and even strangers like myself in the intimate, yet public act of communicating in Spanish with an ultimate reality.
Inspired by the potentialities engendered in praying aloud to deal with societal issues, to articulate non-hegemonic histories, and to seek to counteract evil, chaos, and oppression, on April 27th, 2012, I offered an oral account of my experiences praying in and with the South Bronx. The title Prayer Lessons references the highly experiential and embodied process upon which I embarked, one in which the participant and the observer in me remained in constant struggle with each other.
Presented with The Institute for Art, Religion, and Social Justice at Union Theological Seminary.
Special thanks to: Professor Janet Walton, Professor Samuel Cruz, and AA Bronson.