On April 4, 2012, the gates of the Andrew Freedman Home opened to the public. The Home was once built to be a haven, a paradise, for the rich elderly who had lost their fortunes. Bequeathed by millionaire Andrew Freedman, the Home provided not only food and shelter but all the accoutrements of a rich and civilized life style – white glove dinner service, a grand ball room, a wood-paneled library, billiard room and a social committee who organized concerts, opera performances and the like.

Referencing this quixotic history, This Side of Paradise references the past and reconnect the vision of Andrew Freedman to today’s Bronx and its realities. The exhibition and its extensive public programming onsite and offsite draws together the economic and social history of the Home with the present day realities of the Bronx and its residents.

The selected artists’ work in a site-specific manner and respond to such issues as memory, immigration, storytelling, aging and the creation of fantasy that the original concept of the Home “being poor in style” suggests. This Side of Paradise celebrates human ingenuity, the strength of the human spirit and the resilience needed to fashion beauty, hope and rejoicing.

Exhibition Hours: Thursday to Sunday, 1pm to 7pm (extended hours when events are hosted).

Bronx Arts Alliance is a partner for This Side of Paradise either installations, events or general cross-promotion of Bronx Arts. Partnering organizations are: Bronx Documentary Center | Casita Maria | Hebrew Home at Riverdale | Lehman College Art Gallery | Longwood Art Gallery at Hostos College | The Bronx Children’s Museum | The Bronx Council of the Arts | The Bronx Museum of the Arts | The Bronx River Art Center | The POINT | Wave Hill

Collaborative Organizations are Wave Hill – Installation by Adam Parker Smith; The POINT – Designed by Carey Clark, Alejandra Delfin, Danny Peralta, Lady K Fever, Sharon de La Cruz, Tats Cru, David Yearwood among others; The Bronx Museum of the Arts – Works by artists in the AIM Program; Bronx Documentary Center -Film by Tim Hetherington; Lehman College Art Gallery – Works by Scherezade García, Shifting Communities Roundtable Series by The Bronx River Art Center (BRAC) and The Bronx Children´s Museum.

Video and Production Support: BronxNet

Media Partner: WNYC Radio

The Cafe Partner: La Colombe Torrefaction

This Side of Paradise is a collaboration with the Mid Bronx Senior Citizens Council, one of the largest nonprofits who has been providing community services in the South Bronx. Contact [email protected] for more information.