OUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE BOROUGH OF KINGS
ART SCENE: (Clockwise from top left) Kendra J. Ross leads the crowd in a dance during the annual STooPS Art
Crawl in Bed-Stuy. Robin “Dragonfl y” LaVerne Wilson leads the crowd for a variety of games. Brooklynites of
all ages gather for the annual event. Photos by Caroline Ourso
COURIER LIFE, JULY 30-AUG. 5, 2021 23
BY BEN VERDE
Brooklynites hit the streets
this weekend as the eighth annual
STooPS Art Crawl took
over the front steps of some
Bedford-Stuyvesant brownstones.
Pitched as a celebration of
creativity in Brooklyn, the
festival has brought dance,
music, spoken word, theater,
conversations, and workshops
to the stoops and sidewalks of
Bed-Stuy since 2013.
“While the event has become
an anticipated mainstay
of Bed-Stuy summers,
it has become even more important
in the midst of the
pandemic,” said founder Kendra
J. Ross. “As many NYC
performance venues remain
closed, opportunities to experience
the power of live art
in our vibrant city have been
limited. Since being outside
has always been our model,
we offer a premier opportunity
for folks to experience
live art while still being socially
distanced and safe.”
This year’s art crawl along
Hancock Street featured performances
from Ross, who is
a dancer, as well as vocalist
Courtnie, 15-year-old Bedford-
Stuyvesant poet Kai Diata
Giovanni, Robin “Dragonfl y”
LaVerne Wilson, dancer Cheri
L. Stokes, and more.
Dozens of locals packed the
street to witness the performances
on Saturday, July 24.
Event organizers say
the annual art walk aims to
bridge the “then” and “now”
of the rapidly changing Central
Brooklyn neighborhood,
with gentrifi cation pushing
out some longtime residents
and changing the face of the
community. Through local
arts events, the organizers say
they hope to bring together all
factions of the neighborhood
and increase the cohesion of
the community.
Stoop dreams
Bed-Stuy festival brings art to Brooklyn streets