The BAM Local Development Corporation and chashama will present the second annual Outside Art Festival, a month-long festival of free performances, from July 9th to July 31st at the BAM Cultural District/BAM Park in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
"Activating public spaces in and around the Cultural District with performing arts programming such as the Outside Art Festival is fundamental to the BAM LDC's overall mission," said Jeanne Lutfy, BAM LDC President. "It's a great way to see new, interesting work from emerging artists in a relaxed, open air setting."Zeami's Noh classic Ha-Go-Ro-Mo, choreographed by Noriko Wako, will kick off this four-week festival of al fresco performances by emerging New York City-based artists on Saturday, July 9th and Sunday, July 10th at 7 PM. Ha-Go-Ro-Mo is a public art installation based on Zeami's Noh classic that combines oversized sheets of painted rice paper hanging from the trees of BAM Park with original live music and dance. Women's Voices/Women's Visions will next be presented on Friday, July 15th, Saturday, July 16th and Sunday, July 17th at 7 PM. The pieces features perspectives on women's experience – by men and women – from choreographers Cathy Richards, Abi Sebaly, Luis Gabriel Zaragoza and spoken-word artist Lenelle N. Moise.
Next, Sleepless Somniloquoy from the Sacred Circle Theatre is an emotional, ritualistic site-specific performance piece featuring shadow puppets, masks, and original music.Trilok Fusion will present a special Saturday matinee performance of classical Indian dance with children in traditional costumes. Sleepless Somniloquoy will take place on Thursday, July 21st, Friday, July 22nd and Saturday July 23rd at 8 PM, while Trilok Fusion will perform on Saturday, July 23rd at 3 PM.On Friday, July 29th at 7 PM, and Saturday, July 30th and Sunday, July 31st at 3 PM and 7 PM, Cirque Boom Circus Theater will perform a new work entitled Madness & Joy!, celebrating the 150th Anniversary of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass.The BAM Local Development Corporation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to create a vibrant, mixed-use multicultural arts district in Downtown Brooklyn. The BAM Cultural District project will convert currently vacant parking lots and other underutilized properties into a mix of affordable space for visual, performing and media arts organizations, along with arts-related educational programs, a variety of housing, public open space and such amenities as restaurants, cafés, retail and parking. The BAM Cultural District will be distinguished by its diverse arts programming, its well-designed and accommodating public space and its innovative, world-class architecture. It will be a resource for the arts, the local community, the borough of Brooklyn and the City as a whole.
chashama is a New York City arts organization with a nine-year history of supporting art and artists of all genres and experience levels. chashama provides opportunities for artists to create, work and experiment. Founded in 1995, and incorporated in 1996, chashama has presented, produced or sponsored over 300 shows, 11 festivals and assisted almost 5,000 artists of all genres in New York City. In 2003 alone, chashama (1) donated over 2,000 hours of rehearsal space to its guest companies and artists, (2) provided free studio space to 25 artists, offered them free exhibitions and provided free gallery space to more than 100 other visual artists and (3) gave major space grants to several performing arts groups while presenting over 120 shows and events.BAM Cultural District / BAM Park is located at the intersection of Lafayette Avenue and Fulton Street in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.The festival is free, but audience members are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets for the one-hour performances.
For more information, visit www.chashama.org/outsideart.
