Past Folk Arts Events

Folk Art: Mexican Day of the Dead

October 29, 2022

12:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Join us in the courtyard for a folk art celebration of Day of the Dead (El Día de los Muertos) with artist & educator Zafiro Romero-Acevedo Experience this festive Mexican tradition in which passed loved ones are remembered with joy and celebration. Renowned artist Zafiro Romero-Acevedo returns to the Pelham Art Center to share the […]

Folk Art: Diwali Celebration!

October 23, 2022

12:00 pm - 2:00 pm

On Sunday, October 23rd, Pelham Art Center celebrated Diwali, the Festival of Lights, with a wonderful program full of the arts. The Art Center brought Diwali traditions and Indian culture to the community with a mesmerizing Indian classical music performance by Satyaki Dutta (sarod player) and Vikas Yendluri (tabla player), as well as an Indian classical […]

Pamela & Gerard in Concert

August 12, 2022

5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Pamela & Gerard are both teachers and performers in the Rockland County area. With both being string players, Pamela a harpist and Gerard a guitarist, the two blend their instruments into beautiful arrangements of well-known classics. The two began collaborating musically 3 years ago and have developed a repertoire of pop, classical, and varied other […]

Folk Art: Afro-Rican Drumming with BombaYo!

September 18, 2021

3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month! Pelham Art Center welcomes internationally-acclaimed performer/educator and Bronx native Jose Ortiz, a.k.a. Dr. Drum, to lead the community in a Bomba music celebration. Bomba is an African-derived music and dance tradition developed in Puerto Rico. With call-and-response singing, drumming and dance, BombaYo will kindle the joy of this Afro-Puerto Rican art form […]

Chinese New Year Virtual Celebration!

February 8, 2021

3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Ring in the Year of the Ox! Chinese New Year Virtual Celebration with Jane Chang Monday, February 8th | 3:30pm EST Free & Open to All | Hosted on Zoom      Chinese New Year is a transitional Chinese holiday that starts with the new moon of the first day of the Lunar New Year. […]

Indigenous American Folk Art

November 10, 2019

2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Pelham Art Center invites the community to come engage with the cultural traditions of local Indigenous American peoples on Sunday, November 10, 2019. This event is free and open to all, 2:00-4:00PM. Members of the Matinecock Tribe of Queens and Long Island, Turkey clan Chief Reggie Ceaser and artist Tecumseh Ceaser will introduce attendees to […]

Mexican Day of the Dead

October 27, 2019

2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Free and open to all! Join Pelham Art Center for its highly popular Day of the Dead Folk Art celebration. Experience this festive Mexican tradition in which passed loved ones are remembered with joy and celebration. Renowned artist Zafiro Romero-Acevedo returns to the Pelham Art Center to share the history of one of Mexico’s richest […]

Diwali – Hindu Festival of Lights

October 6, 2019

2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Free and open to all! Pelham Art Center will celebrate Diwali on Sunday, October 6th during ArtsFest Weekend.  Diwali is a major festival for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Jains, who believe that light is a metaphor for knowledge and signifies health, wealth and peace. Madhusmita Bora & Prerona Bhuyan of the Sattriya Dance Company will […]

Afro-Puerto Rican Bomba!

September 22, 2019

2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Pelham Art Center welcomes internationally-acclaimed performer/educator and Bronx native Jose Ortiz, a.k.a. Dr. Drum, to lead the community in a Bomba music celebration. Bomba is an African-derived music and dance tradition developed in Puerto Rico. With call-and-response singing, drumming and dance, BombaYo will kindle the joy of this Afro-Puerto Rican art form and ignite the […]

Celebrate Ghana!

May 5, 2019

1:30 pm - 4:00 pm

Experience the vibrancy and joy of Ghana at the newest installment of Pelham Art Center’s Folk Arts Series: Celebrate Ghana! on Sunday, May 5, 2019, 1:30-4:00pm at the Pelham Art Center. Come learn about Ghana with traditional folklore, song, dance, and hands-on art making!  Award-winning performer Therese Folkes Plair will transport audience members through the […]

Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival

April 7, 2019

1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Spring has arrived! The cherry trees are starting to bloom again and we celebrate the eighth annual Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival at Pelham Art Center. A Japanese Taiko drum performance will begin at 1:30PM. Flower arrangement and origami workshops to follow at 2:30PM. Free and open to all ages! Cherry blossoms are a symbolic flower […]

Brazilian Carnival

March 10, 2019

1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Free and open to all! We will be dancing in the streets with this performance by Samba Novo. Colorful costumes and exuberant dancing to samba music is the staple of the Carnival festival. A workshop on mask making will follow the dance.

Chinese New Year Celebration, Performance & Workshops

February 10, 2019

1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Chinese New Year at Pelham Art Center Traditional Lion Dance and Crafting & Knot Tying Workshops Free and Open to All Ages! Sunday, February 10, 2019, 1:30-3:30 pm Come celebrate the Year of the Pig!  Chinese New Year returns to Pelham Art Center on Sunday, February 10, 2019 with free, family-friendly activities. Come see the […]

Diwali – The Colorful Hindu Festival of Lights

November 18, 2018

1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Indian Classical Dance Performance, Henna Tattoos, and Hands-on Traditional Indian Art Workshops Free and Open to All Ages! Sunday, November 18, 2018, 1:30-3:30 pm Pelham Art Center’s popular Diwali, Hindu Festival of Lights, returns as part of its Folk Arts Series. Join us for this colorful and festive event with a free ancient Indian classical […]

Mexican Day of the Dead!

October 28, 2018

1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Hands-on Workshop and Dance Performance with Zafiro Romero-Acevedo and Telphochcalli Traditional Mexican Performance Arts & Theater Free and Open to All Ages! Pelham Art Center’s Folk Arts Series presents the annual celebration of Mexican Day of the Dead (El Día de los Muertos). Come join in this festive Mexican tradition in which passed loved ones […]

Traditional Tarantella Dances, Ritual Drumming and Craft Workshop

September 30, 2018

1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Come see the award winning Alessandra Belloni perform a whirlwind of Southern Italian tambourines combined with singing and traditional tarantella dances performed by Francesca Silvano. After the performance there will be a workshop on colorful tissue stained glass making.

Rhythms & Dances of Haiti

July 29, 2018

1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Haiti Cultural Exchange and Pelham Art Center present: Rhythms & Dances of Haiti with teaching artist Okai Fleurimont. Discover the traditional drum rhythms of Haiti during this interactive performance. After the music performance there will be a great workshop on making your personal flag or bandana lead by Rebecca Mills.

Free and Open to All Ages!

Scandinavian Midsummer Fest

June 24, 2018

1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

What better way to celebrate the longest day of the year than with a real Scandinavian midsummer event! Dancers wearing traditional Scandinavian clothing will demonstrate and teach accessible and fun Norwegian and Swedish folk dances. A fiddler will play and you will learn how to make lovely floral head wreaths. Scandinavian folk dances are generally […]

Klezmer Music, Song and Dance

June 2, 2018

1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

We are getting closer to summer and we celebrate with The Westchester Klezmer Program under the direction of Kenny Green. They will perform entertaining, lively and uplifting classic Klezmer music consisting of freylekhs, horas, bulgars and sing-alongs beginning at 1:30 pm The Westchester Klezmer Program is dedicated to preserving the celebratory secular musical heritage of […]

Hawaiian Hula Dancing

May 5, 2018

1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Dance Performance and a Hands-on Workshop Free and Open to All Ages! Aloha Hula NYC performers have been sharing Hawaiian and Polynesian culture for over 20 years across the US and abroad including Australia, the Philippines and Bahrain in the Middle East. The company regularly shares “Aloha” in the tri-state area. The bold prints and […]

Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival

April 7, 2018

1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Drum Performance Plus Flower Arranging and Origami Art Workshops Free and Open to All Ages! Saturday, April 7, 2018, 1:30 – 3:30 pm Spring has arrived! The cherry trees are starting to bloom again and we celebrate the seventh annual Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival at Pelham Art Center. Cherry blossoms are a symbolic flower of […]

Flamenco and La Ida y Vuelta

March 3, 2018

1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Feel the heat of the summer approaching with the spicy rhythms and passionate flamenco dance by the group Flamenco Latino. Dance and Music Performance and Hands-on Workshop Free and Open to All Ages! From 1:30-2:30 pm this exciting traditional dance will inspire you!  Pelham Art Center invites artists to take advantage of the passion and […]

Celebrate Diwali – The Colorful Hindu Festival of Lights

December 2, 2017

1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Indian Classical Dance Performance, Henna Tattoos, and Hands-on Traditional Indian Art Workshops Free and Open to All Ages! Pelham Art Center’s popular Diwali, Hindu Festival of Lights, returns as part of its Folk Arts Series on Saturday, December 2 from 1:30-3:30 pm. Join us for this colorful and festive event with a free ancient Indian […]