In 2017, the founders of the Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation wanted to establish a free program that would help boost their engagement with the community. Kofi Osei Williams, the CEO of Asase Yaa, says organizers decided to reach out to their many friends in the arts community to make it happen.
“We had a lot of friends who were either on Broadway, touring with major companies, or simply professional artists doing really big things,” he said of the African/African diasporic arts-oriented company, which teaches dance, martial arts, and showcases musical performances. “Our goal was to bring them [in to do performances in] the community free of charge. That led to the start of our festival: It began as a one-day event with maybe three or four artists. Seeing the impact it had on the community, we decided to expand.
“The following year, we extended it from one day to a full week.” That year, the ART IS ALIVE Festival featured 10 performances and was again a success. But then in 2019, the festival was postponed after the owner of the building they rented sold the location.
At their new headquarters at 506 Macdonough Street in Brooklyn, thoughts of hosting the festival came back, even though it was during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The arts are vital
Styled as a replica of a festival originally held at Medgar Evers College (MEC), “ART IS ALIVE” was created by Elendar Barnes-Harrison, Williams’ mother-in-law, a professor of performing and visual arts. Williams says Barnes-Harrison recommended adopting both the name and the guiding principles of ART IS ALIVE so that Asase Yaa could promote an understanding of the continued vitality of the arts.
“She said one of the things is that when times get hard, regardless of when it happens, a lot of institutions want to cancel out the arts. She always felt like she wanted to let people know that you can’t cancel the arts,” Williams said. “That art is always going to be alive.”
Organizing ART IS ALIVE during the pandemic brought a few artists and companies out, and the festival was held outside in the park. Since then, the festival has remained strong.
Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation photos
This year’s 9th annual ART IS ALIVE Festival runs from Sept. 14- 20, at the organization’s headquarters in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Throughout the week, completely free tap, West African, salsa, Haitian and other dance styles will be taught, alongside workshops on Djembe drumming and other classes.
A six-hour Block Party will cap off the festival on Sept. 20, featuring food and craft vendors; family-friendly spaces; an appearance from The Last Poets; drumming from Kojo Melché Roney; and music from Grupo Sabrosura Salsa Jazz, veteran DJ Hard Hittin Harry and other hip hop, salsa, and jazz musicians.
Williams notes that anyone doubting they will fit in at the ART IS ALIVE Festival should come out: “You don’t even have to dance sometimes,” he said. “But you can also join a community. We are celebrating our 25th anniversary, and these 25 years involve many levels of family, people, and great energy. Our biggest strength is bringing the community together. During this week of art, we hope to see laughter … and there’s a lot of culture too. Just look at the list — it’s full of culture, and it shows the unity among us, even though some try to discredit it. But we have a lot of unity.”
ART IS ALIVE will take place September 14–20, at 506 Macdonough Street, Brooklyn, NY 11233. For more information, contact info@asaseyaaent.org, or visit https://www.asaseyaaent.org/.