Black Future Festival
Join BCM for a week of reflection and future-forward fun inspired by the national celebration of Black History Month and the African Diaspora! We’re partnering with Kendra J. Bostock and STooPS to honor Black culture with incredible dance performances, powerful storytelling, dynamic workshops, and more!
See what’s happening each day:
Featured Performance
All performances are 45 minutes long.
BK Dreamers by KJB Works
What are your dreams for a beautiful Brooklyn? Join dancers of Kendra J Bostock Works as we dance out our dreams of art, joy, love and spaces where Black folks thrive as we all thrive. Through dance, music, and text, let’s explore our dreams and imagine how to make them come true together.
Multiple performances:
- Sunday, February 16: 11:00 am & 3:30 pm
- Monday, February 17: 11:00 am & 3:30 pm
- Thursday, February 20: 11:00 am & 3:30 pm
- Saturday, February 22: 11:00 am & 3:30 pm
Program Schedule
All workshops are 45 minutes long.
The Art of Loving Oneself: ‘If Brooklyn Were a Tree…’
Transform Brooklyn into a mighty tree through art and storytelling! Create your own ‘dream zine’ combining illustrations, poetry, movement, and images, with tips on what makes a healthy tree grow. Together we’ll explore themes of feeling confident with the unknown, the growth that occurs in darkness, and the relationships between water, air, earth, and fire. Led by M. Aleijuan King.
Thursday, February 20: 2:30 pm
Black History Game Show!
Time travel through Brooklyn’s past and future in this hands-on Black history game for the entire family! Learn about the artists, activists, and scientists who have shaped our community while playing interactive trivia and games. Experience history, culture, and community changemakers who helped spread love, the Brooklyn way. Led by Wema Ragophala.
Monday, February 17: 12:15 pm
Exploring Block Printing
Create unique prints on paper and fabric! Explore the basics of block printing using precut blocks and washable ink. Led by Stephanie Oge.
Tuesday, February 18: 2:30 pm
Future Leaders Paper Crafts
Imagine your future self and the kind of career you might have. Are you a teacher? A doctor? An astronaut? Use a variety of materials to create a large paper doll of your future self! Receive a coloring sheet representing different careers to take home. Led by Ovila Lemon.
Wednesday, February 19: 4:00 pm
Friday, February 21: 11:00 am
Jazz Dance and Storytime
Let’s get jazzed up for swingin’ storytime! Join STOOPS Bedstuy performer/teaching artist Carmen Carriker as we explore jazz through dance, music, pictures, books, songs, and games. This fun workshop is designed for youth 0-10 years. Led by Carmen Carriker.
Friday, February 21: 4:00 pm
Let’s Dance Brooklyn: Past, Present, Future
Try this dynamic workshop celebrating the vibrant evolution of dance. Through creative movement, participants will journey through Brooklyn’s cultural roots, embrace the present, and envision a powerful future—all while having fun and staying active! Led by Leslie Alston.
Tuesday, February 18: 12:15 pm
Thursday, February 20: 2:30 pm
Linoleum Printing Workshop
Create a unique star-inspired artwork through printmaking! Choose from different pre-carved linoleum blocks with images of stars, print your chosen designs on paper, and then draw things you wish for around your prints using crayons and colored pencils. This workshop introduces participants to printmaking concepts and is a fast way to create a unique souvenir. Led by Cecilia Caldiera.
Thursday, February 20: 12:15 pm
Making Brooklyn Beats
Explore sounds with us as we create beats that make you move your feet. Rock to instruments like the mbira, shakere, xylophone, various drums, and whistles. Create your own sustainable instrument using recycled materials to make music and take home. Led by PitsiRa Ragophala.
Tuesday, February 18: 4:00 pm
Wednesday, February 19: 12:15 pm
Making Colorful Mandala Ornaments
Create your own unique mandala ornament on a circular wood pine disc! Design your mandala pattern using washable markers and stencils on one side, add your name or initials to the other, and attach twine to hang your finished creation. Led by Ramona Kearns.
Sunday, February 16: 2:30 pm
Friday, February 21: 12:15 pm
My Community Looks Like…
Rep’ your ‘hood through paper collage! Use a variety of multi-colored, multi-patterned and multi-textured paper to represent who and what makes up your community. Add an instant photo of yourself to draw a personal connection to the place you call home. Participants may choose to take their collages with them or add them to a larger collective collage that will represent the community that attends the workshop that day. Led by Pia Monique Murray/PMMDC.
Thursday, February 20: 4:00 pm
Friday, February 21: 2:30 pm
Printmaking on Paper
Make a masterpiece using block printing techniques! Roll paint onto blocks and other everyday materials and stamp them onto poster boards to create a collective mural. Led by Apryl Bruce.
Wednesday, February 19: 11:00 am
The Possibilities of Dreams
Join this interactive movement and storytelling workshop where dreams become reality! Immerse yourself in a journey as we co-create a world together. Through movement and storytelling, interweave a tale that creates a bridge from the present to the possibilities. Using Nikki Giovanni’s book, Genie in the Jar, let us begin to “weave the sky”, celebrating the power of community. Led by Wema Ragophala.
Sunday, February 16: 12:15 pm
Wednesday, February 19: 2:30 pm
Scribble Stories
Turn random scribbles into stories through the power of imagination! Start with simple scribbles on paper, transform them into faces or scenes, and create stories inspired by your drawings. This creative exercise helps develop storytelling skills through abstract line drawings. Led by Keisha Gaye-Anderson.
Saturday, February 22: 2:30 pm
Wukkout!
Wukkout! is a high energy, inclusive and dynamic, Soca dance fitness experience designed to make you sweat and have fun, just like you would at a Caribbean Carnival. No experience necessary and all levels are welcome so grab yuh rag, grab yuh flag and be ready to Wukkout! Led by Krista Martins.
Monday, February 17: 2:30 pm
Yoga For Kids
Join us for a playful introduction to yoga designed just for kids! This workshop focuses on breathwork, meditation, stretch, and play as we go on yoga adventures to the jungle, under the sea, and more. Led by Carmen Carriker.
Tuesday, February 18: 11:00 am
Saturday, February 22: 12:15 pm
ColorLab Workshops
Future Reflections
Create future-forward “mirrors” inspired by artist Larry Brown’s “I See You” series! Using reflective paper, air-dry clay, beads, and twine, design mixed-media sculptures that give us a glimpse into the bright future ahead.
Daily: 10:30 am – 12:30 pm & 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
“I See You”: Workshop with Artist Larry Brown
Meet the artist behind our Future Reflections project! Join Larry Brown in ColorLab as he guides you in creating your own reflective sculptures inspired by his “I See You” series. Using reflective paper, air-dry clay, beads, and twine, design mixed-media artworks while learning directly from the artist about his creative process and vision.
Thursday, February 20: 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Nature’s Engineers
Cool by Design
Discover the science of keeping spaces cool in our STEM makerspace! Design and build your own shade structure using textiles, then put your engineering skills to the test: Can your creation protect an ice cube from melting?
Daily: 10:30 am – 12:30 pm & 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm