El Museo del Barrio hosted a panel discussion on Wednesday, 3/10 as tribute to the conclusion of BBBP, the Bronx Blue Bedroom Project.

Many participating artists attended, including Matthew Burcaw, who also wore a curatorial hat during the two years the Blue Bedroom served as an unconventional community art space.

The robin blue “space” was the bedroom of Mexican-American artist Blanka Amezkua who made her bed scarce when receiving visitors coming to see the art installations, which changed each month. Through the use of such an intimate place, she accomplished two goals simultaneously. First, she created a haven for artists to exhibit their completed work or create site-specific work for the immediate, surrounding community, better known as neighbors. Secondly, she gave artists with no previous show experience the encouragement, AND the opportunity to present their work to the public for the first time.

As measured by the packed house and enthusiasm of the audience, BBBD successfully crossed multiple cultural boundaries to create an impact on a community. Moving forward, Ms. Amezkua expressed an interest in getting out of the bedroom and taking her project to the street. Given her huge success in the Bronx, crowd control may be an issue next time around.

Read more on the closing of the project, known as “Blue Was Never My Color, Anyway!”