BROOKLYN, NY–(BUSINESS WIRE)–651 ARTS, Brooklyn’s premier institution for the performing arts of the African Diaspora, today announced details for its 2022 season – “Liminal spaces: confined to the house » – to include a mix of feature presentations, performance and new programming. In addition to its fall schedule, 651 also revealed that it will be launching the House Warming Initiative as it prepares to move to the institution’s first-ever grounded space at 10 Lafayette in downtown Brooklyn in the spring of 2023. Marking a watershed moment in the institution’s history, the new multipurpose facility of 12 500 square feet at 10 Lafayette will deepen 651’s programming and bring together the multiple communities it serves in a way never before possible.
With the recent appointment of its new CEO, Toya Lillard and about to move into its first permanent home, the upcoming season of 651 ARTS signals a new era for the legacy organization as well as a major milestone in its continued growth and expansion. Since its inception in 1988, 651 ARTS has navigated literal and figurative liminal spaces and is now – with the move – confined to the home. This “liminal spaces: confined to the house” season provides an opportunity to reflect, individually and collectively, on “how we will appear in the future we imagine.”
“For over 34 years, 651 ARTS has answered the call to create programming that centers and values the performing arts and cultures of the African diaspora. And so far, the institution has fulfilled its mission to deepen knowledge and appreciation of the contemporary arts and culture of the African Diaspora without its own physical space. We wanted this season to reflect and encapsulate both where we’ve been and where we’re landing, especially as we look forward to moving into our new home and celebrating 651’s 35th anniversary.e Anniversary in 2023,” Lillard said. “The word liminal is rooted in the Latin word limen, which means “threshold”. In the literal sense, a threshold is a door—or border between two places or stages. 651 ARTS has a history steeped in nurturing Brooklyn’s art ecosystems, while showcasing and producing work by emerging, established, and world-renowned artists from across the United States and around the world. For Black people everywhere, liminal spaces have historically provided the opportunity to imagine and create more sustainable futures where we can survive and thrive.
With this concept in mind, 651 ARTS’ fall lineup will include unique collaborations with world-class artists and leaders in the arts. The season will start on October 15e with Perform an Afro Future, at The center of fiction. This roundtable will explore the creative mapping involved in the imagination of future afros. The first performance of the season will take place from November 18 to 20e at The center of fiction with Malik Work Award-winner Verses at Worka dynamic performance in which the dynamic actor/MC tells his own story of perseverance, love, music and the struggle to survive as an artist in New York.
Educational residences include Towards a generative theatre: work in progress by The Black Seed Cohort at Weeksville Heritage Center December 2n/aand the fourth year of The network of loggersa mentorship and career accelerator residency program for emerging, self-identifying female artists in jazz. This legacy project by NEA Jazz Master and music legend Dee Dee Bridgewater, and artistic director and associate director Tulani Bridgewater-Kowalskiwill take place in February 2023. The application and submission process for the program will begin in October.
Launch today, 651 ARTS’ House Warming Initiative seeks to galvanize support from key stakeholders around the organization’s efforts to transform its new home into downtown Brooklyn’s first center for black art creation and to open a new stage for black art.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AUTUMN 2022 SEASON
Perform an Afro Future
Appointment): October 15, 2022
Location: The center of fiction – 15 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Verses at Work
Date: November 18-20, 2022
Location: The center of fiction – 15 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
RESIDENTIAL HOMES
Towards a generative theatre: work in progress
Date: December 2, 2022
Location: Weeksville Heritage Center – 158 Buffalo Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213
The network of loggers
Appointment): Starts February 27, 2023
About 651 ARTS
Since its founding in 1988, 651 ARTS has become a trusted convener of contemporary artistic expression from the African Diaspora, a champion and nurturer for emerging artists and their work, and a vital cultural resource for its surrounding community. As it evolves, part of 651 ARTS’ mission is to preserve the legacy of black culture in Brooklyn, celebrate the eclecticism of black performance, and launch new visions from diaspora artists. African. This year – the year of transition – is an integral part of the institution as it continues to establish the framework that will help further strengthen the role of 651 ARTS as a leader of African diaspora culture while making it an incubator. of artistic innovation at 21st century.
For more information, please visit: www.651ARTS.org.
651 ARTS programs are made possible through generous private donations and grants from The Bay and Paul Foundations, The Baisley Powell Elebash Fund, The Black Seed Funds, Con Edison, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Ford Foundation, Harkness Foundation for Dance, Howard Gilman Foundation, Lambent Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, The New York Community Trust Mosaic Network & Fund, The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Wallace Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, including Majority Leader Keith Powers, the office of the Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynosoand the New York State Council on the Arts with support from Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.