Brooklyn Arts Council to Honor Suzan-Lori Parks, Ben Lovett at 50th Anniversary Celebration

On Tuesday, May 3rd, at 26 Bridge, Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC) will celebrate 50 years of supporting Brooklyn's diverse creative and cultural community.

In honor of a half-century of programs that include grant support for artists and arts organizations, arts in education programs for children and adults, public performances by folk and traditional artists, fiscal sponsorship for artists applying for crowd-funded and institutional support, and technical assistance for artists early and advanced in their careers, BAC will host Alive with Art: Brooklyn Arts Council's 50th Anniversary Ceremony & Dinner and After Party.

On this special occasion, BAC will honor Suzan-Lori Parks, 2002 Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and 2001 MacArthur "Genius" whose play, "Imperceptible Mutabilities in the Third Kingdom," BACA Downtown (as BAC was formerly called) presented in the 1980s, and Ben Lovett of the GRAMMY Award-winning band Mumford & Sons who is also a Brooklyn-based entrepreneur and business owner.

Alive with Art's inaugural after party will feature performances by Brooklyn artists Rachel Brown and The Bones of J.R. Jones with special guests, artisanal cocktails, and an opportunity to mingle with DUMBO-based creative professionals and artists and arts organizations from across Brooklyn.

By creating and supporting exciting cultural events and platforms for Brooklynites, Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC) provides forums for critical thinking and self-expression for young people and adults, enriches Brooklyn's cultural landscape, and generates engaging experiences that expand horizons. Alive with Art is Brooklyn Arts Council's annual gala fundraiser. All proceeds from Alive with Art support Brooklyn-based artists and arts organizations and the local populations they inspire and service.

On the occasion of BAC's 50th Anniversary, BAC is proud to honor two exceptional artists who have deeply and positively influenced Brooklyn's creative and cultural landscape: Suzan-Lori Parks and Ben Lovett of Mumford & Sons.

Named one of TIME magazine's "100 Innovators for the Next New Wave," in 2002 Suzan-Lori Parks became the first African-American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for her Broadway hit Topdog/Underdog. A MacArthur "Genius" Award and Gish Prize recipient, she has also been awarded grants by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts. Her new play Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 2, & 3) made its world premiere at the Public Theater in New York, followed by a celebrated run at the A.R.T. in Cambridge, MA. The play was named a finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was awarded the 2015 Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History as well as the 2014 Horton Foote Prize. Her first feature-length screenplay was Girl 6, written for Spike Lee. She's also written screenplays for Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster and Oprah Winfrey, adapting Zora Neale Hurston's classic novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, which premiered on ABC's Oprah Winfrey Presents.

Ben Lovett is a GRAMMY Award-winning musician who has been living and working in Brooklyn for four years. Aside from Ben's work with his band, Mumford & Sons, he is a producer, an entrepreneur, and a philanthropist. This year marks the 10th Anniversary of Communion, Ben's multi-faceted music business entity. Communion promotes shows, releases records, and publishes songwriters. In 2010, Ben expanded Communion into Brooklyn and now employs ten full-time staff and four part-time staff in their office in Fort Greene. Beyond Communion, Ben is a partner in Givers and Takers, a neighborhood bar in Gowanus. While in Brooklyn, Ben produced Austin to Boston, an internationally-acclaimed documentary capturing the journey of four artists across America in vintage camper vans. He is also a board member of Barclays Center and SoHo House and a public advocate for Global Citizen, a New York-based organization focusing on global poverty relief. Ben is currently spearheading a project which allows people from any community across the world to submit stories which will then be transformed into songs by world-renowned artists.

Following the Alive with Art Ceremony & Dinner, BAC is proud to partner with Communion Presents on the Alive with Art After Party, an evening of music, artisanal cocktails, and special guests.

Alive with Art Ceremony & Dinner and After Party Performers:

Founded in January 2012 by Stacy Kovacs, Batala NYC is an all-woman Samba-reggae drum ensemble based in Brooklyn. Batala NYC has shared bills with Reggie Watts and Cyndi Lauper and was the featured opener for the Rolling Stones on their 50th Anniversary Tour in Brooklyn and Newark, NJ.

Wyclef Jean dubbed Rachel Brown's music "the future of R&B." Brown's distinctive sound blends elements of her roots (Ethiopian, Bermudian, and Southern) with a childhood spent listening to soul greats, Motown, and hip-hop. The daughter of fashion designer Amsale Aberra, Rachel Brown's live performance combines sultry songwriting with vintage flair.

Fresh from a national tour supporting G. Love and Special Sauce, The Bones of J.R. Jones performs 21st Century blues and folk with the passion of a teenage punk band. Recently expanded from a one-man band into a full ensemble, The Bones will release their sophomore record, Spirit's Furnace, just in time for Alive with Art.

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