BY BROOKLYN PAPER
Festival lovers can get
their artistic fi x at the upcoming
Downtown Brooklyn Arts
Festival, kicking off Sept. 22.
This annual celebration
will showcase the various
talents of local artists, writers,
performers and art programs.
According to the president
of Downtown Brooklyn
Partnership, Regina Myer,
residents can enjoy productions,
classes, screenings and
exhibitions focused on the
creative culture Brooklyn
thrives on.
“We’re really highlighting
the great art of downtown
Brooklyn in one of our great
outdoor plazas … which is in
the heart of the downtown
Brooklyn cultural district,”
said Myer. “It’s a great signal
that we’re back.”
Myer adds that this year’s
event should represent the
fact that the city is alive and
well after getting through
the darkest days of the pandemic.
COURIER LIFE, S 28 EPTEMBER 17-23, 2021
“This year’s festival is
even more special after a
year of limited opportunities
for community celebration,”
said Myer. “With an
exciting lineup of art, dance,
performance and more, we’re
proud to bring residents and
visitors together to enjoy a
diverse array of events from
some of the city’s best artists
and institutions.”
Festival organizers announced
the exciting itinerary
full of in-person and virtual
events on their website.
Some events will be hosted
at The Plaza at 300 Ashland.
These include:
A kickoff salsa dance party
with live music by Brooklynbased
singer and her band
Maria Raquel Quintet, DJ
John John Acevedo
A showcase of the pieces
that artists who participated
in the Downtown Brooklyn
Rehearsal Residency Initiative
created. Including
the work of Senegalese traditional
and contemporary
dancer Babacar Top, the original
circus and comedy production
Allez-OOPS! by Rob
& Miss Jane, among others
Arturo O’Farrill and the
18-piece Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Soul Summit, spinning oldschool
house music on The
Plaza
There will also be more
events hosted throughout the
district. These include:
A performance and from
Mark Morris Dance Group
A presentation from UrbanGlass
with artists Carly
Mandel and H Schenck.
Multiple dance classes including
Afro-Caribbean, ballet,
contemporary, modern,
and West African
With participants like
Brooklyn Ballet, Brooklyn
Youth Chorus and Irondale
Ensemble Project, viewers
can expect a week of diverting
exhibits during the festival,
which will run from Sept. 22
through Sept. 25.
For more information, check
out dbartsfestival.org.
BY BROOKLYN PAPER
Bookworms, rejoice!
On the fi rst day of school,
the Cortelyou branch of the
Brooklyn Public Library
welcomed patrons back after
temporarily closing its doors
for renovations.
The 38-year-old community
hotspot on Cortelyou
Road closed six months ago
to undergo a facelift. While
the skeleton of the library remains
unchanged, Flatbush
residents can expect to fi nd
a complete interior remodeling.
At its Sept. 13 reopening,
a crowd of children in school
uniforms bustled in to see the
freshly painted walls, shiny
linoleum fl oors, and brightly
colored books placed on new
shelves. Renovations also included
a new teen area, as well
as energy-effi cient lighting.
Linda Johnson, CEO of
the library system, believes
the improvements will make
the book-lender a place of ingenuity.
“We like to have libraries
that are not only warm in the
winter and cool in the summer…
but that are inspiring,”
Johnson said. “I’m happy that
we could deliver one that is so
uplifting and cheerful.”
The branch’s staff worked
alongside Friends of the Library,
a local volunteer group,
to raise a total of $40,000 to
supplement a $250,000 state
grant. According to BPL
spokesperson Fritzi Bodenheimer,
the estimated cost
of renovation was roughly
$290,000.
“It was a great partnership
because the state paid
for a lot of the infrastructure
work and the friends were
able to cover things the state
grant wouldn’t have covered
like these chairs,” said Mike
Fieni, BPL’s director of community
engagement.
Assemblymember Robert
Carroll, who represents parts
of Flatbush, joined Monday’s
ribbon cutting ceremony,
where he thanked the group
of staff members, fundraisers
and parents gathered in front
of the library.
“It was so wonderful to
see that this branch has been
renovated and made so much
better because of all of your
work and commitment,” Carroll
said.
With Flatbush residents
eager to get back into borrowing
from their local branch,
library staffers hope the reopening
will symbolize some
level of “normalcy” for locals.
“With kids going back to
school, the natural rhythm
will start to resume some
level of normalcy and I want
to make sure we’re here for
our communities,” said Johnson.
Cool down!
Cortelyou Library in Flatbush
reopens aft er six-month makeover
BROOKLYN
In the good books
The newly remodeled Cortelyou Library. Photos by Jada Camille
Downtown Brooklyn Arts Fest
will kick off next weekend
FORGET ALL YOUR TROUBLES, FORGET ALL YOUR CARES: The Downtown Brooklyn Arts Festival will return
Sept. 22. Photo by Downtown Brooklyn Partnership
/dbartsfestival.org
/dbartsfestival.org