In New York City, there’s only one free summer concert and outdoor performance series that has showcased artists from all over the world for nearly 50 years: BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Every year, they meticulously prepare for each summer gathering in Prospect Park and beyond. Read all about the preparations, performances, surprises, and unexpected moments of these free events on brooklynski.info.
What Is BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!
Unlike many similar festivals, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! is a free summer event that encourages New Yorkers to keep coming back with their friends and family to appreciate—or discover for the first time—a new genre, see a well-known performer from a different perspective, or learn something new about global cultures.
What’s most interesting is that this transformation of the audience happens every single festival night. For over 40 years, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! has featured globally recognized icons of popular music, legendary jazz performers, and indie bands that have topped the charts. And what would it be without dance? Gravity-defying dance troupes were always a staple of the events. The festival also showcased large-scale film screenings and even virtual reality performances. More than that, they became one of the main cultural landmarks of New York City and the borough of Brooklyn, and a beloved summer pastime.
From the very first performance in the summer of 1979, the mission of **BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!** was both simple and complex: to unite Brooklyn. These free experiences at the Lena Horne Bandshell undeniably improved people’s lives and broadened their understanding of the world, highlighting the unique aspects of different cultures that make the borough the special place it is.
The organizers rightly believe it’s especially important to use artistic platforms to affirm the very essence of what Brooklyn, and America as a whole, is—a welcoming supercollider of ideas and cultures that inform and enrich each other.
Most of the participants in the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! festival, regardless of which country they came from, performed for free. To understand the scale of what happens in Brooklyn at this time—every summer, the festival attracts over 250,000 visitors from all over New York, who gather at the Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park.
For over forty years, BRIC has shaped Brooklyn’s cultural and media landscape by providing vital support to artists, creators, students, and media professionals, and by encouraging people of all ages to learn, focusing on the diverse voices that drive culture forward. Without false modesty, it’s safe to say that BRIC is building Brooklyn’s creative future.
Perhaps that’s why, in 1979, the Brooklyn Arts Council founded the festival with a dual cultural and civic mission: to contribute to the economic revitalization of the borough through art, to make Brooklyn’s artists accessible to a wider audience, and to provide free access to cultural programs for everyone. Nanette Rainone was the founder of the organization and led the foundation until 2002, while Burl Hash was the first producer of the Celebrate Brooklyn! festival.
The Rotunda Gallery
The Foundation then established the Rotunda Gallery with the goal of further strengthening the arts community in Brooklyn. It aimed to support—or rather, provide opportunities for—the borough’s artists and make contemporary art more accessible to Brooklyn’s art lovers. In 1981, Jackie Battenfield became the first director of the Rotunda Gallery.
Later, to facilitate the creation of and access to Brooklyn-focused television programs, and to promote public participation in creating TV content, the foundation was renamed Brooklyn Community Access Television. This allowed the foundation’s representatives to manage Brooklyn Community Access Television. The results of these changes were immediate: in 1990, the first BCAT cable broadcast aired on Time Warner and Cablevision.
But the work of implementing television broadcasts and creating content was just beginning. Over the next five years, the foundation oversaw the design and construction of the Brooklyn Public Access Television studios and offices in the former Strand Theatre, located at 647 Fulton Street, right in the heart of Brooklyn.
At the same time, at the foundation’s request, a schematic design was developed for the creation of a multidisciplinary arts center in the former Strand Theatre in accordance with the 1996 master plan. All work was carried out with the support of the Borough President and in collaboration with the New York City Department of Design and Construction and the Department of Cultural Affairs. Capital funds for the project were allocated by New York City.
BRIC Arts/Media House
In 2006, BRIC launched Brooklyn Independent Television, a media initiative focused on original, professional coverage of Brooklyn’s news, people, issues, sports, and culture. As you can see, the work never stops for a moment. With all this effort and dedication, BRIC celebrated the 35th anniversary of Celebrate Brooklyn! That same year, on October 3, 2013, BRIC Arts/Media House opened to the public. The organization’s name was then shortened to BRIC.
After that, BRIC started working with even more enthusiasm. They love to scratch that creative itch, especially when it benefits local communities. At BRIC, you can take an idea that came to you in a moment of inspiration, an idea you never thought would see the light of day, and bring it to life. It can be anything, any kind of idea. Maybe it’s a play, a TV show, a refined choreography, a series of photographs, or an exhibition. Whatever it is, BRIC welcomes it. They bring these projects to life, allowing them to take shape, and note, without control or excessive influence.
After all, BRIC is a place of alchemy because every day, they turn nothing into something. But why does BRIC do this work? Why is it important? Why should everyone support them? Or more simply—why BRIC and why now?
As it turns out, the answer to these questions is very simple. Many adults who are now thoughtful and successful would have wanted a place like BRIC when they were children. At the time, it was incredibly important to be able to connect your passion with your purpose. But back then, it wasn’t an option.
BRIC’s Mission
The creators of the TV shows on television came from other worlds, and it seemed impossible to join them, or even to speak to them. They were more mysterious than life itself, and often unlike the people on this side of the screen. To be creative and live your truth felt as fantastic as lightsabers and talking robots.
That’s why BRIC exists. They want people to see themselves on their screens, stages, and in their classrooms. After all, you can only shape the creative future this way—by leaning on each other and being together. And as everyone has come to understand, BRIC is building Brooklyn’s creative future. They are empowering artists, performers, and media makers. They present bold work that reflects their diverse audience and speaks to the world. BRIC unites Brooklyn through art and creativity to build a creative community.
Sources: