Painted, colorful building with a person sitting in front

The Bronx Kreate Hub in Mott Haven.

First South Bronx Art Tour announces June dates

Mott Haven-based nonprofit En Foco, which spotlights the work of artists of color, is launching three photo exhibitions this June. The galleries are opening their doors free of charge.On June 11 between 3 pm and 6 pm, visitors are invited to the openings of Night Vision, Reveal, and Reflejos/Reflections. The exhibitions are run by organizations En Foco and WallWorks NY.

The openings will be held across two Mott Haven art spaces. The Bronx Kreate Hub will host Reveal and Night Vision, while Reflejos/Reflections will be housed at the Romanesque Revival Row House Gallery. Visitors are encouraged to take a separate trip to Melrose to the Bronx Documentary Center and Bronx Documentary Center Annex, where the Look at the USA exhibition will close on June 26.

During the duration of the June 11 event, the exhibitions will be open without reservations. After that date, visitors can make reservations to view. Admission will still be free.

Reveal is an exhibition of works by En Foco’s 10 fellows, while Night Vision spotlights the works of Marisol Díaz-Gordon. The photos, street scenes from Chinatown and the Lower East Side, will be installed on the Bronx Kreate Hub’s fire escapes. Reflejos/Reflections presents the photographs of Erika Morillo and Adeline Lulo in an exhibition that focuses on Dominican culture.

The event follows a trend of dwindling photographer employment during the pandemic years. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in the industry in the New York metropolitan area dropped by about 33% between May 2019 and May 2021, from an estimated 4,870 photographers to 3,260.

The profession is also disproportionately white. In 2021, the Current Population Survey found that 82.7% of photographers were white, compared to 77.5% of the employed population.

“En Foco makes BIPOC photographers’ work visible to the art world, yet remains accessible to under-serviced communities,” the nonprofit says in its Instagram bio.