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Plaza Power!

Support arts and culture programming for immigrant youth and communities in our first neighborhood plaza in Kensington, Brooklyn! 

Leader

Hasiba Haq

Location

Ave C Plaza Brooklyn , NY 11218

About the project

Our project engages arts and culture to amplify immigrant voices in Kensington, Brooklyn. Kensington is an incredibly diverse and vibrant neighborhood, but immigrant women and youth are often left out of decision making and public spaces. With the launch of the new Ave C Plaza as well as programming in collaboration with our community partners, women and youth of all backgrounds have the opportunity to take up space and use arts and culture as a vehicle for exploring their own interests and issues of concern. 

Arts & Democracy engages artists, activists, youth and community members to further participatory democracy through the power of arts and culture. Our work in Kensington, Brooklyn, invests in addressing our community’s needs while celebrating the diverse languages, arts, cultures and histories that make our neighborhood so rich. We follow the leadership of immigrant communities and work in solidarity with them to advance justice and equity for all. We celebrate immigrant culture because we know that when we are inclusive, united, and creative, we are strong.

We are seeking support to expand our programming on our neighborhood’s first public plaza, schools, and cultural spaces in collaboration with other local artist and activist organizations. Programming includes community concerts, writing workshops, and a neighborhood Iftar during Ramadan. Teens in Kensington lack a space to gather with each other, share art and organize around issues that matter to them. In response we plan to expand our youth led cultural programs, including open mics and a media workshop.
 

This project is led by media artist Hasiba Haq and creative writer and youth organizer Fabliha Anbar. 

The Steps

March 2020: Host a multicultural open mic led by community youth artists and activists. These have become really wonderful safe and expressive spaces for our immigrant and 1st gen youth! Topics have included Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, racial justice, and the quest for home.

Spring 2020: Host a 4 week media workshop for immigrant and 1st gen youth. The format and artists leading the workshop will be determined by the youth.

Spring 2020: Host 2 dance and textiles workshops for immigrant women to learn about health and fitness and learn new sewing skills for economic empowerment. In the past, women have done sari printing and climate change workshops with artist Monica Jahan Bose. 

Mid May 2020: Celebrate our 5th annual community Iftar where we invite Muslim and non-Muslim community members to break fast together, learn about the diversity of Islam and hear from Muslim women artists. 

June 2020: Launch the 5th year of month long programming at Ave C Plaza. In collaboration with community members, cultural organizers, and programming partners we'll provide workshops that celebrate multiple cultures. 

June 27: Third annual Immigrant Culture Concert. We'll have dancers, singers and musicians from multiple cultures perform for 150+ community members and celebrate the many cultures that make our neighborhood so special. Past performers include Ballet Nepantla, The Brooklyn Nomads, Dolunay, BIPA - Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts, Yacouba Sissoko and more. 

Summer 2020: Host another multicultural open mic led by community youth artists and activists. 

Throughout: Participate in the new Kensington Cultural Council, which supports artists and cultural organizations working with immigrant communities in the neighborhood.

Why we‘re doing it

While Kensington is a vibrant, bustling community our community members are some of the poorest in the city, often lacking access to city resources as well as arts and culture activations. Our work over the last five years has demonstrated how women and youth are looking for spaces they can call their own, spaces where they feel safe, and spaces where they feel heard. Our work is a collaboration that is led by and for our local community and immigrant families. Our work with local cultural partners and community members helps open a place for social opportunity and democractic engagement and empower communities to lead ourselves forward towards justice. 

$6,894.00 / $6,894.00