Artists Alina and Jeff Bliumis want to have dinner - at your house.
It’s part of an art project the duo is calling “A Painting for a Family Dinner” and they’re looking for families in the Bronx.
“We are using art as a way to meet people,” said Alina Bliumis, of Manhattan.
The idea is simple: the couple meets with a family for a night of dinner and conversation. In appreciation, each family gets a still life painting of fruit that reads, “Thank You for Dinner!”
After the meal, everyone poses for a family portrait. That photograph is then displayed at the Bronx Museum of the Arts as part of an art exhibit in progress.
“I think it’s a wonderful project and I love the focus on families,” said Sergio Bessa, director of programs at the museum. “The Bronx has always been associated with blight and struggle but there is a huge mainstream community of working families here. And I think it’s wonderful to honor that.”
The art project, which is being produced by the arts group No Longer Empty, is an opportunity for real cultural exchange. Alina Bliumis is from Belarus. Her husband, Jeff, is from Moldova.
“This is our second culture,” Alina Bliumis said. “We want to learn about America, about the Bronx, about families, about life.”
The couple did a similar social experiment in 2009 in Israel.
So far, in the Bronx, they’ve visited with families in Riverdale and Castle Hill. Three family portraits are now on display at the Bronx art museum.
“You can see a lot, even in one photograph,” Alina Bliumis said. “You can see the social and cultural differences. You can see the traditions. I think you can see everything about life in photographs.”
To learn more about this project, Click the "READ MORE" link below or call (917) 701-0149.
