Festival of Possibilities

NEWYORK, NY--

The family friendly free festival of fun will be held July 16 & 17 at The Clemente Cultural and Educational Center, in the heart of the lower east side at 107 Suffolk St, New York, NY 10002 and will feature performances and workshops by master artists and musicians from Africa, Latin America and China.

“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts projects like this one from Foundation for New American Art that help support the community’s creative economy,” said NEA Acting Chair Ann Eilers.

“Foundation for New American Art in NYC is using the arts as a source of strength, a path to well-being, and providing access and opportunity for people to connect and find joy through the arts.”

Schedule of FREE Events:

Saturday, July 16:

A multimedia Global Musical Journey in the Fabulan Theater at the Clemente Cultural and Educational Center 107 Suffolk St. 7-10

-Tamir Hargana, a Mongolian Throat Singer who plays many instruments including the “Horse Guitar.” Tamir is known for combining Heavy Metal and traditional Mongolian vocals.

-Maria Raquel, a charismatic singer from Medellin, Columbia with a powerful voice. Maria is an ambassador for Latin American music.

-Salieu Suso, an “edu-tainer” from Africa. Salieu is a culture bearer from the thousand year old Griot tradition. Salieu plays the Kora.

- Master of Ceremonies will be Phoebe Legere, (Abenaki/Cajun) President of the Foundation for New American Art. Phoebe will present and interview the artists in Spanish and English.

Sunday, July 17:

11 am - 5 pm outdoors, FREE, on La Plaza of The Clemente 107 Suffolk St.

11 am -"Let Every Child Sing" –co-led by Tamir Hargana and Phoebe Legere combining traditional vocal techniques from around the world including

- Mongolian singing -(Xoomi)

- Cumbia Villera (slum cumbia)

- Open Heart Vocal Technique for children and youth developed by Foundation for New American Art.

All ages welcome. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

12 noon - Paintbrushes Not Guns: Art Workshop for youth children and their caregivers lead by Dr. Barnaby Ruhe

1 pm - Communicating to the Community: Drum Workshop led by Joakim Lartey from Ghana (Bring percussion instruments)

2 pm -Carolina Jaurena, teaching beginner level Salsa for the whole family,

3 pm -Nico Wells, a singer from Argentina, and the world-famous “Zen Tango” dancers, with Phoebe Legere on Bandoneon

All Day: Games, Puppets, Storytellers

4 pm The Climax of the Festival de la Posibilidad will be A Community Dance with live music by The Rumberos – a pan-Latin Dance Orchestra - on La Plaza of the Clemente at 4:30 pm.

Let’s DANCE together to integrate the amazing energies of diverse cultural traditions from all over the globe!

Let’s SING together to celebrate a culture of belonging, tolerance and inclusion in New York!

Let’s CELEBRATE and GIVE THANKS for the distinguished immigrant traditions so integral to the powerful and world-changing culture of our great city!

Communal art practices are the very best way to eradicate the systemic racism, sexism, ageism, and intolerance that plague us. Dance, song and art have harmonized and brought mental stability to communities for 100,000 years. It is time to return to organic solutions to modern problems. The names of our programs tell the story of our mission:

“Paintbrushes not Guns!”

“Let Every Child Sing!”

“Music Teachers Without Borders!”

The two-day Festival de la Posibilidad will be filmed by Haoyan of America for broadcast on our free educational online show: “The Color Wheel”

Phoebe Legere is available for interviews, comments on the Festival and her work in nonprofit arts education. Our World Traditions Virtuoso Artists will be available for interview by appointment.

To learn more, visit our website at foundationfornewartamerican.org and our Facebook event page

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural & Educational Center, 107 Suffolk Street, New York, United States