February is coming to a close and with it Black History month, but you can still get in on the festivities and experience the rich culture and history of the black community in Brooklyn on Feb. 22 with a fashion show celebrating black art and history.
Black Artstory Month is an annual series that celebrates the contributions of the black community has made and is making within the visual and performing arts world. This year, Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership has teamed up with Black Gotham Experience to bring us the 7th iteration of the series.
“History is not only something that happened or happens to you, but also one’s impact on the world. We are thrilled to work with Myrtle Avenue to curate the 7th Annual Black Artstory to celebrate the ways Black Brooklyn has been a cultural hub for centuries and continues to this day. Since Black History Month intersects with New York Fashion Week, we turn our focus to Brooklyn style as both art and artifact to bring the past, present, and futur—front and center,” said Kamau Ware, founder of Black Gotham Experience (BGX).
BGX brings their deep knowledge of NYC’s history to four stylized productions at the intersection of Black Brooklyn history and fashion. The program, curated by Ware, William Ellis and Kei Williams, aims to create intimate moments inspired by this history through casual aesthetics that weave into daily conversations, observations, and contemplations along and adjacent to Myrtle Avenue throughout the month of February. And the best part is it’s all free and open to the public!
“Elevating Myrtle Avenue’s deeply rooted history as a haven for Black arts and culture is important to us all year, not just during February. We’re excited that Black Gotham Experience will kick off 2019 curating Black Artstory’s 7th installment on Myrtle Avenue, and that these important conversations about local history will continue via the innovative programs they are developing with major institutions like BRIC and Brooklyn Museum later this year,” said Meredith Phillips Almeida, Executive Director, Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership.
The lineup of programs for the 2019 Black Artstory exhibits artwork and history woven into experiences that bring Black History Month and New York Fashion Week into one discussion.
“We want people to think about the way black culture is happening now. It doesn’t always have to mean thinking about the history, it’s about looking at what’s happening around us right now in all mediums. We want to celebrate the rich multiple-contoured way black culture touches people. We’re going to have fun but there is substance in that.”
The first event was a panel that took place on Feb. 1. The panel was a conversation about Brooklyn and style, it featured several speakers like Rob Fields, President & Executive Director of Weeksville Heritage Center, and photographer, Barron Claiborne, and others.
To follow that up, the series hosted a drink and draw on Feb. 8 at The Emerson Bar.
On Feb. 15 there was an exhibition at Putnams (419 Myrtle), where visual artists selected for the FRONT and CENTER/ED exhibition were featured in the Putnams’ lower level space for an intimate experience with the art.
The series will end on Feb. 22 with a Fashion Presentation at The Hall at 47 Hall Street. Fashion designers will present a small collection with a mixture of artists works and history projected on the walls.
For more information about the series go here.
All images courtesy of Black Artstory.