The East New York Community Music Fest is a free resource event that will feature a bookbag (with school supplies) giveaway, live DJ, photo booth, game truck, refreshments, haircuts for youth, games, and challenges on Saturday, Sept. 9, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Berriman Playground (633 Shroeders Avenue, Brooklyn). 

For more information, call 646-460-4101 or 917-721-1551. 

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There are usually a few rules at art museums: No yelling, no loud music and certainly no touching the displays! But at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new 81st Street Studio, these rules don’t apply. 

This art and science play space designed for kids ages 3-11 and their families welcomes visitors to use their senses for exploration. Kids can smell different types of wood, look through a microscope, play oversized musical instruments, and try digital activities to learn about different materials. Best of all, this newly designed drop-in space on the Met’s ground level is completely free for kids and their caregivers; it opens on September 9 with a daylong children’s festival. 

RECOMMENDED: A major exhibit at The Met will explore the friendship and rivalry of artists Manet and Degas

Within its 3,500-square-foot area, 81st Street Studio features both digital and analog experiences designed to encourage making, investigation, critical thinking, problem-solving and appreciation for materials and their properties. Drop-in activities and self-directed art- and science-making activities will be available during museum hours. 

We are dedicated, of course, to nurturing a lifelong experience of fun, of learning, and of engaging with art.

“We are dedicated, of course, to nurturing a lifelong experience of fun, of learning, and of engaging with art,” The Met’s Director Max Hollein said during a preview event. “It is an immersive, interactive area that reimagines in that way how the Met can inspire this exploration of its collection, but also really enhance the museum’s ideas of what learning means as a resource for our communities.” 

Located in a former library area, 81st Street Studio incorporates several quiet reading areas as a homage to its previous use. Visitors will find books in English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Braille and more. Museum staff plan to host storytelling times as well. 

While many of the inaugural activities are inspired by wood, different materials will take the spotlight on a rotating basis over time. Other stations will engage the senses through hands-on building using cardboard boxes, tape, wooden blocks, wheels, fabric, and Velcro.

Music plays a big role inside the studio—literally. A large music station includes a standing guitar, a castanet wall, an organ, and a marimba, all designed by the music/audio pros at Yamaha. Yamaha also created a bird chime that will play sounds to mark important times of the day in the studio. The musical components are designed to help kids understand how materials influence sound through instruments. Plus, they’re a ton of fun for kids of all ages. 

Families who want to continue the exploration after leaving the studio can pick up a Met Field Guide, a packet of tools with guidance for an adventure in the museum and in Central Park. The field guide encourages kids to learn more about the scientific aspects of The Met collection and Central Park as a field scientist, collecting data while also earning stickers and badges. 

It’s all designed to reimagine how the museum can inspire exploration of its encyclopedic collection, amplify curiosity and create new experiences for little learners. 

Heidi Holder, The Met’s education chair, conceived the space; KOKO Architecture + Design designed it.

* This article was originally published here

The Ujamaa Afrikan Market & Open Mic event will be held on Saturday, Oct. 7, from 2 to 8:30 p.m.at 385 Kosciusko Street (between Marcus Garvey Blvd. & Lewis Ave. in Brooklyn). The event is free and features music, food, drinks, open mic, games, and vendors. One Africa, one nation! 

For more information, call 347-666-8991.

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* This article was originally published here

The Newark Arts Festival (NAF) 2023 is scheduled to take place September 27 through October 1. The free, four-day festival features arts and culture events that will take place across all five wards of Newark.

“Voted New Jersey’s favorite visual arts festival,” the festival’s programming states, “NAF 2023 will proudly feature the ‘Cross Cultural Perspectives’ of Newark’s diverse and vibrant arts community, as well as national and international voices in the arts. Unique to this year’s festival will be a spotlight on the contributions of Newark-area hip-hop pioneers, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip hop.”

For more information, visit NewarkArtsFestival.com

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* This article was originally published here

More than 111,700 new clean energy jobs have been brought to communities of color since last year when the landmark Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) became law. As part of the Biden administration’s clean energy plan, one of the largest such investments in the nation’s history, 272 projects accounting for more than 170,600 clean energy jobs have been announced by clean energy companies.  

New York’s Black workers, along with those in South Carolina, Michigan, Georgia, and Tennessee, are included in 124 new clean energy projects—spurring $53.52 billion in investment and 58,473 new clean energy jobs.

What remains unclear is the extent to which the various companies involved in the projects will diversify their workforces. According to one report, 61% of clean energy workers across America are white non-Hispanics. African American and Hispanic/Latino workers are more poorly represented in clean energy than they are across the rest of the economy. The report notes that Black people comprise “8% of the clean energy workforce,” compared with 13% economy-wide.

It is certainly good news that 66% of new clean energy jobs, and 74% of projects are located in communities of color across the United States, but location is no guarantee that people of color will actually get these jobs. More information is needed in terms of what companies are involved in the projects and what compliance measures are in effect to ensure more diversity. Moreover, New York is listed among the top five states with new jobs in Black/African American communities, registering 3,415 jobs and $518 million in investments—numbers below Tennessee in jobs but with a larger investment number. 

There is no disputing the Biden administration’s step in the right direction when it comes to helping disadvantaged communities. But more and larger steps are necessary to improve the disparity that exists in clean energy and the broader economy.

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* This article was originally published here