Brooklyn Arts Council Celebrates 60 Years With Fab 5 Freddy

On May 19, the Brooklyn Arts Council held its annual Brooklyn Arts Awards at the Powerhouse Arts Building. The striking setting was the inspired environment for the organization, which was celebrating a major milestone of being in operation for 60 years. “When artists thrive, Brooklyn thrives,” said Brooklyn Arts Council Executive Director Rasu Jilani in an interview with CBS News before the event.

The Brooklyn Arts Council has helped artists, educators, and other community organizations achieve their creative goals in multiple ways, from multiple programs focusing on creative development and professional development to
fostering consultancy relationships with other organizations including the New York City Mayor’s Office (former Commissioner for the Arts Laurie Cumbo has worked with the BAC in the past) to provide a wellness studio for
holistic support.

2026 was no different, as this year’s theme for the Brooklyn Arts Awards was “Then.Now.Next”, featuring 58 teaching artists in schools and community spaces in the borough receiving $680,000, representing the “Next” to rise.

Representing “Then” in the theme was a cultural icon and former Yo! MTV Raps host Fab 5 Freddy, and veteran photographer and artist Laylah Amatullah Barryn, who has previously been a five-time awardee from the BAC. “To be back in Brooklyn for this award, where I was born and bred and collard green fed, it means so much,” Fab 5 Freddy said in the interview with Jilani, also commenting on the timing of being honored after the release of his highly anticipated memoir, Everybody’s Fly.

The evening also saw 222 awards bestowed to artists, with a total amount of $1.16 million in funding. In addition, Randi Berry and Amy Schwarzman of the Safety Net Coalition were honored for their work in aiding artists in the community who have been under duress, most recently those impacted by the devastating fire in a warehouse in the Red Hook neighborhood.