Harlem Arts Festival

The Harlem Arts Festival is an annual arts festival and arts nonprofit based in Harlem that began in 2012.[1] The organization presented community-based music, dance, theatre, and visual artists at Marcus Garvey Park and the surrounding Harlem area. Notable participants included Queen Esther, Toni Blackman, Brandee Younger, Kris Bowers, Divinity Roxx, Marc Cary, AKIR, Timothy Bloom, Brady Watt, Maurice "Mobetta" Brown, M-1, Solomon Hicks, Bentley Meeker, among many others.[2]

Harlem Arts Festival
Brandee Younger performing at the Harlem Arts Festival in 2013
GenreR&B, soul music, jazz, dance, visual arts, theatre, Spoken word, etc.
DatesLast weekend of June each year
Location(s)Mount Morris Park in Harlem
Manhattan, New York City
Founded byNeal Ludevig, J.J. El-Far and Chelsea Goding
Attendance6,000 annually
Websiteharlemartsfestival.com

History

The organization and festival was co-founded and led by three local Harlem producers: Neal Ludevig, J.J. El-Far and Chelsea Goding.[3][4][5] The festival debuted in 2012 after a successful Kickstarter campaign garnered press from The New York Times,[6] The Daily News,[7][8] DNAInfo,[9] Northhattan News,[10] and a number of other media outlets.[11] The organization presented more than 200 artists to more than 17,000 attendees in 5 years.

In 2014, the organization honored musician and social activist Fred Ho with its annual Lynette Velasco Community Impact Award, which honored the NYC's Assembly Member Inez Dickens late Chief of Staff.[12][13][14]

In 2017, the festival's headlining performance, which featured Prodigy from Mobb Deep, passed away shortly before his performance.[15][16] In response to his death, the organizers and Maurice "Mobetta" Brown, a long-time collaborator of Prodigy's, paid tribute to him through performances alongside M-1 (of Dead Prez) and a number of other musicians.[17][18] HipHopDX premiered an exclusive from the festival where M-1 spit never-before-heard verses from Dead Prez's debut album, Lets Get Free.

Recognition

Harlem Arts Festival received letters of support from a number of NYC elected officials and local entities, including Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Assembly member Inez Dickens, Congressman Charles Rangel, Councilman Mark Levine, Melissa Mark-Viverito, Councilman Bill Perkins, among others.[19]

NYC Congressman Charles Rangel declared an official proclamation of a "Harlem Arts Festival Day" on June 22, 2015.[20]

In June 2016, Uptown Scoop listed Harlem Arts Festival as #1 on its list of the 100 best things to do in Harlem.[21]

In 2017, Baucemag listed Harlem Arts Festival as #5 in a list of "12 Major Events Where You Can Meet a High-Quality BAUCE Bae".[22]

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References
  1. "ABOUT US". Harlem Arts Festival. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
  2. "Harlem Arts Festival | HAF Artists". Harlem Arts Festival. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
  3. "Harlem Arts Festival Young Patrons -". artnet News. 2015-03-20. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
  4. "NYPL Community Oral History Project | A People's History of Harlem | Neal Ludevig and Chelsea Goding". oralhistory.nypl.org. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
  5. "ABOUT US". Harlem Arts Festival. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
  6. Miet, Hannah (February 17, 2012). "Giving Ideas A Kick In The Wallet". New York Times.
  7. LOFTERS, MICHAEL MENNA, ASHLEY. "Ultimate Summer Guide 2012: Street festivals". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  8. FEENEY, MICHAEL J. "Arts festival for Harlem on the way, organizers say". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  9. "Inaugural Harlem Arts Festival Organizers Want to Showcase Local Artists". DNAinfo New York. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  10. Balac, Milos (December 11, 2011). "Young Entrepreneurs Set The Bar High For Harlem Arts Festival". Northattan News. Alt URL
  11. FEENEY, MICHAEL J. "Arts festival for Harlem on the way, organizers say". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  12. "Harlem Arts Fest holds third annual gala". amsterdamnews.com. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
  13. "Annual HAF Gala Shines a Light on Artists and the Community That Support Them. HAF 2014 Festival Scheduled June 28 - 29". Harlem One Stop. March 17, 2014.
  14. "Community Service Award Named For Late Harlem Council Aide Lynette Velasco". DNAinfo New York. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
  15. "Hip-Hop Icon Prodigy of Mobb Deep Dies at 42, Reports Say". DNAinfo New York. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  16. "Mobb Deep played their last show on the 'Art of Rap' tour in Vegas (watch)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  17. Desk, BWW News. "Prodigy to Be Honored by Frequent Collaborator Maurice Brown at Harlem Arts Festival". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  18. https://hiphopdx.com, HipHopDX- (2017-06-28). "dead prez's M-1 Spits Unreleased Prodigy Verse From "Let's Get Free"". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  19. "Harlem Arts Festival | Press". Harlem Arts Festival. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
  20. Rangel, Harlem Arts Festival The person who created the document was Congressman Charlie (2015-06-22), English: This file is an official document scan that illustrates a proclamation of Harlem Arts Festival Day on June 22nd, 2015., retrieved 2020-03-28
  21. "#HarlemSummer100: 100 Things to do in Harlem This Summer – Uptown Scoop". 2016-06-27. Archived from the original on 2016-06-27. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
  22. Nicole, Janay (2017-04-03). "12 Major Events Where You Can Meet a High-Quality Bae". BAUCE. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
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