FREE CONCERT AT AVENUE C PLAZA: SONNY SINGH AND MAFER POWER TRIO

 

A Free Concert at Avenue C Plaza

with Sonny Singh and Mafer Power Trío

Thursday, September 4th

7:00 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.

 

From Arts & Democracy:

We welcome you to Avenue C Plaza for a special concert!

Sonny Singh is a Brooklyn-based trumpet player and singer whose music is celebrated for bold and joyous musical innovation.

Mafer Power Trío: Presenting Venes Future Sound Collective unites Mafer Bandola, Baden Goyo, and Yilmer Vivas, crafting a genre-fluid sound that blends Venezuelan roots with jazz, contemporary Latin, and global influences—pushing tradition into the future.

In the event of inclement weather, we will relocate the concert to an indoor space in the neighborhood.

The concert is supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council, New York City Department of Transportation, and Partnerships for Parks through the NYC Green Fund. Thank you to City Councilmember Shahana Hanif for your support.

Get your free tickets at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-concert-at-avenue-c-plaza-with-sonny-singh-and-mafer-power-trio-tickets-1596584931509. 

Location

Avenue C Plaza

556 McDonald Avenue

at Avenue C

Kensington, Brooklyn

(map)

 

A CONCERT AT AVENUE C PLAZA WITH SONNY SINGH AND MAFER POWER TRIO (FREE)

 

A Concert at Avenue C Plaza

with Sonny Singh and Mafer Power Trío

Thursday, September 4th

7:00 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.

 

From Arts & Democracy:

We welcome you to Avenue C Plaza for a special concert!

Sonny Singh is a Brooklyn-based trumpet player and singer whose music is celebrated for bold and joyous musical innovation.

Mafer Power Trío: Presenting Venes Future Sound Collective unites Mafer Bandola, Baden Goyo, and Yilmer Vivas, crafting a genre-fluid sound that blends Venezuelan roots with jazz, contemporary Latin, and global influences—pushing tradition into the future.

In the event of inclement weather, we will relocate the concert to an indoor space in the neighborhood.

The concert is supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council, New York City Department of Transportation, and Partnerships for Parks through the NYC Green Fund. Thank you to City Councilmember Shahana Hanif for your support.

Get your free tickets at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-concert-at-avenue-c-plaza-with-sonny-singh-and-mafer-power-trio-tickets-1596584931509. 

Location

Avenue C Plaza

556 McDonald Avenue

at Avenue C

Kensington, Brooklyn

(map)

STORYTIME, LIVE MUSIC, DRAWING, AND MORE (FREE)

 

From Arts & Democracy:

This Sunday, June 22, 2:00 - 3:30pm

Storytime and Activities at Kensington Plaza with Lofty Pigeon Books and Arts & Democracy

Come by for storytime, live music, drawing, and more—with authors from the neighborhood!

 

Open to all ages, especially baby through tween readers.

Schedule:

2:00–2:20pm: Reading and live music with Dan Saks

2:20–2:40pm: Soca Baby Party with Qef and Ari

2:40–3:00pm: Kate Hosford reading You'll Always Be My Chickadee, with craft

3:00–3:20pm: Sarvenaz Tash reading from Queen of Ocean Parkway, with Q&A

 

Location

Kensington Plaza

114 Beverley Road

between E. 2nd Street and McDonald Avenue

Kensington, Brooklyn

(map)

KITE MAKING AND FLYING, PRINT MAKING, AND STORYTIME AND ACTIVITIES AT AVENUE C PLAZA THIS WEEKEND, PLUS SEVERAL WEEKLY WEEKDAY ACTIVITIES (FREE)

From ArtBuilt Mobile Studio: 

This Week! Kite Making and Flying on Thursday @ 1pm with The Singing Winds, Print Making on Saturday with Casa Cultural, and Storytime and Activities on Sunday (in Kensington Plaza) with Lofty Pigeon Books and Arts & Democracy!

See the Kensington Culture website for upcoming community events at Avenue C Plaza, Kensington Plaza, and neighborhood playgrounds, schools, and more. 

 

Location

Avenue C Plaza

556 McDonald Avenue

at Avenue C

Kensington, Brooklyn

(map)

KITE MAKING AND FLYING AND A FAMILY CONCERT AT AVENUE C PLAZA THIS WEEKEND, PLUS SEVERAL WEEKLY WEEKDAY ACTIVITIES (FREE)

 

Kite Making and Flying

Saturday, June 14th, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Family Concert 

Sunday, June 15th, 2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. 

 

From ArtBuilt Mobile Studio:

This Week! Join us for Kite Making and Flying on Saturday with The Singing Winds, our annual Family Concert on Sunday presented by Arts & Democracy, and additional weekday activities! 

 

See the Kensington Culture website for upcoming community events at Avenue C Plaza, Kensington Plaza, and neighborhood playgrounds, schools, and more. 

 

Location

Avenue C Plaza

556 McDonald Avenue

at Avenue C

Kensington, Brooklyn

(map)

 

FAMILY CONCERT AT AVENUE C PLAZA: LIVE MUSIC AND DANCE (FREE)

The Family Concert

Sunday, June 15th

2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

 

From Arts & Democracy:

Join us at Avenue C Plaza, 557 McDonald Ave to celebrate creativity in our community!

Featuring music and dance from Brooklyn Porch Music's The Multigenerational Playing for the Light Big Band; Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts (BIPA); Students from the Tomas Rodriguez Guitar Studio; Singing Winds Dance with Ballet Folklórico Mariposas, Shapla and Azerbaijani Dance; and Youth Tecuanes Dance with Casa Cultural.

RSVPs appreciated, though not required:

JOIN US!

 

This event is supported in part by public funds from NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, NYC Department of Transportation, and Partnerships for Parks through the NYC Green Fund. Thank you to City Councilmember Shahana Hanif for your support.

 

The Family Concert is a collaboration with Arts & Democracy, ArtBuilt, Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts (BIPA), Casa Cultural, The Singing Winds, NOCD-NY, and Kensington Cultural Council.

Location

Avenue C Plaza

556 McDonald Avenue

at Avenue C

Kensington, Brooklyn

MULTICULTURAL INTERFAITH COMMUNITY IFTAR IN KENSINGTON, FREE AND OPEN TO ALL

Kensington Community Iftar

Tuesday, March 18th

6:00 pm. to 8:30 p.m.

From Arts & Democracy:

Join us for a multicultural community Iftar in Kensington, Brooklyn! The event is in-person, free of charge and open to all.

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Ramadan Kareem! Break fast with your Muslim neighbors and celebrate and learn about Ramadan. Join friends and neighbors at PS 179 in Kensington, Brooklyn to taste food from around the world as Muslim artists share their work. Co-sponsored with ArtBuilt, NOCD-NY, NIA Beacon @ PS 179, NYC Comptroller Brad Lander and NYC Councilmember Shahana Hanif Date: Tuesday March 18, 6:30pm. Doors open at 6:00pm. Location: PS 179, 202 Avenue C in Kensington, Brooklyn Please RSVP. It is very helpful for us to make sure we have enough food for everyone. Your info will not be shared. Schedule: 6:00pm - Doors open 6:30pm - Opening remarks 7:06pm - Dinner is served at sundown 7:30pm - Program with Muslim artists artwork: Sabrina Malik

This event is supported in part by public funds from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the NYC Council and Brooklyn Org

CELEBRATE KENSINGTON! CULTURE + COMMUNITY + CARE

 

Celebrate Kensington!

Culture + Community + Care

Sunday, June 30th

1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

 

Join a celebration of Kensington's food, music, and textiles and the close-knit network of people who make them happen.

 

"Celebrate Kensington! Culture + Community + Care" will take place on Sunday, June 30th, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., at Avenue C Plaza.

 

The co-hosts are Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts NY (NOCD-NY) and Arts & Democracy.

 

The day's events: 

• Music jam session with Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts (BIPA), Yoshie Fruchter, Ilya Shneyveys, and other local musicians
• Textile workshops with Casa Cultural and Bangladeshi Ladies Club
• Art and button-making with The Kensington Musketeers’ youth leaders
• Tabling by Kensington Cultural Council, Kensington-Windsor Terrace Mutual Aid, Sakhi, DRUM, and New York City Councilmember Shahana Hanif’s office
• Free food by Bangladeshi Ladies Club and other local food establishments

 

Celebrate the culmination of a year-long community research project about Kensington’s culture and cultural networks with a free full-color printed booklet (while supplies last) and poster display.

 

For all ages. Open to all.

 

Location

Avenue C Plaza

at the intersection of Avenue C and McDonald Avenue

Kensington, Brooklyn

 

FAMILY CONCERT: LIVE MUSIC AND DANCE (FREE, OUTDOORS)

The Family Concert

Sunday, June 2nd

2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

 

From Arts & Democracy:

Join us and ArtBuilt Mobile Studio on June 2 at 2pm at Avenue C Plaza to celebrate creativity in our community!

 

Featuring music and dance from 

• Brooklyn Porch Music’s The Multigenerational Playing for the Light Big Band, 
• Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts (BIPA), 
• Students from the Tomas Rodriguez Guitar Studio, 
• Singing Winds Dance with Ballet Folklórico Mariposas and Shapla, and 
• Youth Tecuani Dance with Casa Cultural.

Cosponsored by NOCD-NY.

RSVPs appreciated, though not required: tinyurl.com/TheFamilyConcert2024

Location

Avenue C Plaza

556 McDonald Avenue

at Avenue C

Kensington, Brooklyn

CULTURAL HUB WILL BE PLANNED FOR KENSINGTON

The Kensington Cultural Council has been awarded $25,000 to "carry out a planning process for a neighborhood cultural hub."

Brooklyn Org (formerly Brooklyn Community Foundation) granted the award through its inaugural Neighborhood Collective Impact Project to "support collaborations between community-based nonprofits to address local needs."

The award is designated for projects that "advance racial justice and provide critical resources to BIPOC communities and residents who have been historically disempowered or discriminated against across Brooklyn."

The Kensington Cultural Council's nonprofit partners are

• Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts NY, Inc.,  
• The Singing Winds,  
• Casa Cultural,  
• Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts,
• Arts & Democracy, and  
• ArtBuilt.

From Brooklyn Org's press release:

The Kensington Cultural Council will coordinate a series of multilingual public cultural events including family arts workshops, sewing circles, dance and ESL classes, storytelling, concerts, and forums reflecting the traditional cultures of immigrant families. To address a lack of community space, the group will carry out a planning process for a neighborhood cultural hub that includes office and studio space for local artists and cultural organizations; a large conference room for public workshops, meetings and forums; and storage for shared equipment.

 

CHANGE OF VENUE FOR THE FREE MUSIC CONCERT: CELEBRATING IMMIGRANT CULTURE

Update: Due to the expectation of rain, the venue has been changed to an indoor location: Jalsa restaurant, 786 Coney Island Avenue, between Cortelyou and Dorchester roads. 

------------------------ 

From Arts & Democracy:

Please join us on Sunday, July 9 at 6pm for an extraordinary concert with Alsarah & the Nubatones and Sonny Singh at the Avenue C Plaza, 557 McDonald Ave at Ave C.

 

The concert is free of charge but we ask that you please RSVP at https://tinyurl.com/July9Concert so we can get a sense of the head count for the concert and send you updates about it.

 

Find out more about these wonderful musicians below, check out their music, and hear them live and up close at the Ave C Plaza on July 9!

 

Presented by Arts & Democracy in collaboration with ArtBuilt. 

 

Alsarah is a singer, songwriter, bandleader and a somewhat reluctant ethnomusicologist. Born in Khartoum, Sudan, she relocated to Yemen with her family before abruptly moving to the USA, finally feeling most at home in Brooklyn, NY where she has been residing since 2004. She is a self-proclaimed practitioner of East-African Retro-Pop music. Working on various projects, she has toured both nationally and internationally. Accompanying musicians for this performance include Brandon Terzic, Oud and Rami Elaasser, percussion.

 

With her main outfit, Alsarah & the Nubatones, she has released 2 full-length albums titled Silt, followed by Manara (Wonderwheel Recordings, 2014 and 2016). She has also released 1 full-length album with French electronic producer Débruit titled Aljawal (Soundways Recordings, 2013). And she was featured on the Nile Project‘s debut CD, Aswan (named in the top 5 must hear international albums by NPR, 2014).

In between albums Alsarah also works with the Sudanese artist collective Refugee Club Productions on a variety of projects including the critically acclaimed documentary “Beats of the Antonov”.

Check out Alsarah & the Nubatone’s music here.

Simultaneously spiritual and rebellious, Sonny Singh’s music is a reminder that hope, love, and devotion are crucial to our struggles and our collective survival. Sonny's first musical outlet as a child of immigrant parents in North Carolina was singing Sikh devotional music in gurdwaras (Sikh houses of worship). His energy shifted to other types of music as he became a more serious musician: ska, reggae, funk, punk rock, bhangra, and more. As a singer and trumpet player, he has been central to the sound and raw energy of Red Baraat since the band's inception in 2008, touring globally and recording 5 studio albums. 

Sonny’s debut solo album, produced by Wil-Dog Abers of Ozomatli, is entitled Chardi Kala, the Sikh concept of revolutionary eternal optimism. Chardi Kala is a return to Sonny’s Punjabi & Sikh roots, but with the lens he’s developed over the course of his life as a touring musician, educator, and activist. Sonny’s band has performed at the Brooklyn Museum, Carnegie Hall Citywide, MASSMoCA, O+ Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), and The White House for President Joe Biden’s 2023 celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage. Weaving in story-telling and political/spiritual education, the live show, which includes harmonium, electric guitar, tabla, and dhol, provides audiences with an uplifting space for reflection and action.

Check out Sonny Singh’s music here.

 

GIVE FREELY AND TAKE FREELY AT THE COMMUNITY FREE STORE

 

Community Free Store

Saturday, June 10th, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

 

Donate what you can and "shop" for what you need at the Community Free Store. You can give, you can take, or you can give and take on Saturday, June 10th, between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

 

If you need clothes, toys, home goods, toiletries, etc., you can get them at the store for free.

 

Or, if you can donate any of those items, bring them to the store on Saturday between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. All donated items should be like new or very lightly used.

 

Anything that's left over at the end of the event will be distributed to neighbors in need. 

Bring bags with you to put your finds in.

 

Kensington/Windsor Terrace Mutual Aid, the host, will be joined by Arts & Democracy, The Brooklyn Book Bodega, and ArtBuilt Mobile Studios at the event.

 

Location

Avenue C Plaza

556 McDonald Avenue at Avenue C

Kensington, Brooklyn

https://www.facebook.com/avecplaza 

(map)

 

"THE FAMILY CONCERT": LIVE MUSICAL PERFORMANCES AT AVENUE C PLAZA (FREE, OUTDOORS)

 

"The Family Concert"

Sunday, June 11th, 2:00 p.m. to 5:20 p.m.

 

Arts & Democracy, ArtBuilt Mobile Studios, 5PM Porch Music, The Singing Winds, Casa Cultural, Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts - BIPA, and students of Tomas Rodriguez will hold a Family Concert to celebrate creativity in our community.

 

The free concert will take place outdoors at the Avenue C pedestrian plaza on Sunday, June 11th, from 2:00 p.m. to about 5:20 p.m.

Avenue C Plaza is a public plaza used for cultural, educational, and social events and as a gathering space for residents. It was brought to life in 2016 through the efforts of The Kensington Stewards--a volunteer group of neighborhood residents--in conjunction with the Neighborhood Plaza Partnership.

 

Location

Avenue C Plaza

556 McDonald Avenue at Avenue C

Kensington, Brooklyn

https://www.facebook.com/avecplaza

(map) 

 

KENSINGTON COMMUNITY IFTAR, FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

                         

Kensington Community Iftar

Wednesday, March 29th

6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

The annual Kensington Community Iftar to break the fast during Ramadan will be held on Wednesday, March 29th, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., with a rain date of Monday, April 3rd.

The multicultural, interfaith event is open to everyone and it is free. Neighbors will share a meal together to break the fast and to celebrate Muslim women artists. Artwork on invitation by Sabrina Malik.

Ramadan is considered one of the holiest months of the year for Muslims. In Ramadan, Muslims commemorate the revelation of the Qur’an, and fast from food and drink during the sunlit hours as a means of drawing closer to God and cultivating self-control, gratitude, and compassion for those less fortunate. Ramadan is a month of intense spiritual rejuvenation with a heightened focus on devotion, during which Muslims spend extra time reading the Qur’an and performing special prayers. Those unable to fast, such as pregnant or nursing women, the sick, or elderly people and children, are exempt from fasting.

                                        Islamic Networks Group

Arts & Democracy will host the Iftar, with New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, New York City District 39 Councilmember Shahana Hanif, ArtBuilt, and NOCD-NY (Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts) as co-sponsors.

Schedule

6:30 p.m.

Welcome

Hasiba Haq, Arts & Democracy

Remarks from New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and New York City Councilmember Shahana Hanif

7:00 p.m.

Dinner is served. Meet your neighbors.

7:45 p.m.

Muslim-American artists share their work

The event is supported in part by public funds from the Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council.

RSVP here so that the host will know how much food will be needed.

Location

Avenue C Plaza (map)

557 McDonald Avenue at Avenue C

Kensington, Brooklyn