This Saturday at 9pm, celebrate BAM Cinematek's 10th Anniversary and kick off the Afro Punk Festival with a free film at Fort Greene Park! The film, "What's on your plate?", is a thought-provoking and entertaining documentary about kids, food and politics. Bring a blanket and claim your spot on the grass early!

Here's the synopsis:
Safiyah and Sadie are two 11-year old African-American girls growing up in New York City. Over the course of a year filmaker Catherine Gund follows them as they start to ask - and answer - questions about the food on their plate. Where does it come from? What's in it? Why is it so hard to get healthy meals into schools and what will happen if we don't?

Photo credit: www.bam.org www.bam.org

On June 20th, the 2nd Annual SummerFest at the Urban Assembly Academy of Arts & Letters will celebrate its students, summer, and community!

Free and open to the public, SummerFest invites all to this outdoor festival featuring an exhibition of student artwork, student performances, face painting, and games for all ages, including a dunk tank!

Enjoy our "Taste of Fort Greene/Clinton Hill Food Fest" with food from Myrtle Avenue favorites like Kum Kau, Ruthies and Chez Lola, as well as many other local eateries: Bacchus, Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, Chez Chez Oscar, Graziella's, Habana Outpost, iCi, Island Pride Restaurant, Kif, La Villa Pizzeria & Restaurant, Mont Blanc Dessert, Olea Mediterranean Taverna, Red Bamboo, Roosters Chicken Rotisserie, and Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pies.

Raffle items include a Park Slope YMCA family membership, a Giants football jacket signed by Carl Banks, 2 i-Pod nano's, and a digital camera! Wow!

When: Saturday, June 20th, 2009 from Noon to 3:00pm

Where: The Urban Assembly Academy of Arts & Letters, 225 Adelphi St, Brooklyn, NY 11205 (between Dekalb and Willoughby in Fort Greene)

Visit the school's website, www.uaaal.org for more info.

Click here to apply to vend at the summer's best local bash - the annual Afro Punk Block Party on Sunday, July 12th.

We're looking for local, home-based vendors and entrepreneurs creating fashion, jewelry, art, accessories and more to participate in this year's event, which takes place on Clinton Avenue between Myrtle and Willoughby. Limited 10' x 10' vendor spaces are available, so act fast to confirm your spot and take advantage of the recession-friendly early bird rate of $75!

We were just thrilled to be a part of this fantastic public art project that brought together Livable Streets Education, Community Roots Charter School, P.S. 67 and local muralist extraordinaire Ellie Balk to create a street mural for the community of St. Edwards Street. This mural is the first of its kind in the city, and the very first project under the Department of Transportation's "Arterventions" program.

Check out the fantastic Streetsblog video of the project, or visit Flickr for highlights of the day, including a performance by the precious P.S. 67 cheering squad.

Kiini Ibura proudly presents the 4th annual pre-Mother's Day Jewels and Jazz event.

Shopping from 11:30am until 8:30pm. Music set featuring spoken word artist and vocalist, Gha'il Rhodes Benjamin, begins at 5:00pm.

Stop by on Saturday, May 9th: 388 Myrtle Avenue (btwn Vanderbilt & Clermont) or for more info call 718.858.5195.

Light refreshments will be served

It was surprisingly cool under the BQE on our first 80 degree day, as over 75 people turned out for our first workshop looking at creative uses for the space beneath the BQE. The Spacebuster, our temporary inflatable home, played a perfect host for the community gathering, and attracted area residents and curious passersby.

Browse the photos below, and check back soon for a compilation of ideas from the workshop.




Update: here are some conceptual drawings from workshop attendees:




...and some birds-eye views of the site:

Walk around Fort Greene Park, a greensward that owes its existence in large part to Walt Whitman's editorials written for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and learn about this poet's intimate connection with Brooklyn's first official park. The afternoon includes Whitman-inspired song by the American Opera Projects, readings of Whitman's prose and poetry and discussions about the park, the Wallabout Martyrs and the monument dedicated to their memory, and Brooklyn Hospital. This event will conclude with a walk up Myrtle Avenue to 99 Ryerson Street, the last existing building in Brooklyn that was a residence of Walt Whitman. Several Myrtle Avenue merchants have lunch discounts exclusively for tour participants.

Your guide is Greg Trupiano, Artistic Director of The Walt Whitman Project and AOP Artistic Partner for Outreach/Education. April 26, 2009, Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

• Meet at the Visitors Center, Top of the Hill, Fort Greene Park • Enter at Myrtle Avenue, Washington Park, or DeKalb Avenue, Brooklyn • FREE event / rain or shine • Information & Reservations (limited to 25 people): 718-391-8824

The area under the BQE has long been seen as an eyesore – it’s dark, dirty and generally, well, unpleasant. If you’re like us, you’ve probably looked at that area and thought, “Look at all that space! That would be the perfect place for ______.” We want to hear your ideas!

Join us on April 25th for a community workshop under the BQE.

That’s right, we said UNDER THE BQE.

The workshop will take place inside the SpaceBuster, in the area under the BQE in Clinton Hill

at Park Avenue at Washington Avenue
Saturday, April 25th
from 3-4:30pm

SpaceBuster is a mobile inflatable art installation that expands and organically adjusts to its surroundings (like a highway overpass).

We invite you to participate by brainstorming creative permanent and temporary uses and physical improvements for the space under the BQE with the help of volunteer facilitators from Pratt Institute’s Planning program. The event is free and open to the public, but RSVPs are strongly recommended as space is limited.

To RSVP to participate in the community workshop, click here.

Can’t make the workshop? Stop by during the “Open House” after 4:30pm, and mingle with SpaceBuster architects raumlaborberlin.

Sponsored by Storefront, the SpaceBuster will travel throughout New York City hosting various community events from April 17th to the April 26th. For the complete SpaceBuster schedule visit www.storefrontnews.org.

The Myrtle Windows Gallery will be playing host to the Prelude Exhibition of SONYA's Studio Stroll, kicking off on Thursday, April 23rd, at 5:30 pm. Meet on the southeast corner of Myrtle and Clinton Avenues for a guided stroll with SONYA artists of the Myrtle Windows Gallery, culminating at the opening reception being held at Tamboril, 527 Myrtle Avenue (Grand/Steuben), from 6pm to 8pm, with hors d'oeuvres, a cash bar, music, and a video slide show.

Guests are encouraged to linger at Tamboril for the best in Nuevo Latino Cuisine! To make a dinner reservation, please call Tamboril at 718-622-5130.

To RSVP for the guided tour or reception: call 718-705-4911, or email info@sonyaonline.org

The 10th SONYA Studio Stroll will take place on Saturday, May 16th & Sunday, May 17th, noon 6pm, both days. To download the Stroll map (coming soon), visit www.sonyaonline.org.

Poets at the Top of the Hill (Fort Greene Park at the Richard Wright bench [southwest of the Wallabout Martyrs Monument])

Saturdays: April 11th, 18th and 25th 12noon to 1pm

Read - Recite - Create

Read the poetry and prose of writers known and unknown; recite your own words; create new works and share them with the audience.

"Poets at the Top of the Hill" is an informal, hour-long gathering of people who love writing and people who love hearing writers speak.

Open to all, each day will feature one or two special guests. Speak loudly, these events are unamplified!

Hosted by Greg Trupiano, Artistic Director of The Walt Whitman Project.

• Meet at the Richard Wright bench, Top of the Hill, Fort Greene Park • Enter at Myrtle Avenue, Washington Park, or DeKalb Avenue, Brooklyn • FREE event / rain or shine • Information: 718-391-8824 • No reservations needed