Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts was an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit performing arts organization located on the campus of Brooklyn College, founded in 1954. The Brooklyn Center presented multiple disciplinary arts performances and coordinated one of the largest arts education programs in the borough, serving 46,000 schoolchildren from over 300 schools annually.[1]
In July 2018, the organization relieved its nonprofit status by becoming a unit of Brooklyn College's School of Visual, Media, and Performing Arts under the name Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College (BCBC), or Brooklyn College Presents.
On September 6, 2018 (63 days after becoming part of Brooklyn College), the college closed the organization, citing budgetary reasons.[2][3]
Brooklyn Center's mission is to present outstanding performing arts and arts education programs reflective of Brooklyn's diverse communities at affordable prices. A central part of the mission is to introduce young people to the performing arts, enhance education, and expose children to new ideas and other cultures.[4]
History
The rights to the site of Brooklyn College, initially occupied by Native Americans, were transferred to Dutch settlers in 1636 in exchange for one hundred guilders, two-and-one-half tons of beer, three long-barreled guns, and some ammunition. For the next three centuries, homesteaders and farmers occupied the land. In 1924, Ringling Brothers, Barnum, and Bailey Circus began to use the grounds for their annual visits to Brooklyn. By 1935, the college secured the property, and in October of that year, construction of Brooklyn College began.
Since the college served a large, urban, and unusually heterogeneous student body, it became evident that the campus needed a grand assembly hall. During World War II, Brooklyn College's President Harry D. Gideonse wrote a proposal to the City Planning Commission for auditorium funding. The building would contain two performance spaces: George Gershwin Theater, nicknamed the “little theater” and the Walt Whitman Theatre. The property's landscaping followed construction, and by April 15, 1953, the cornerstone was ceremoniously placed in position.
Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College (BCBC) is part of a long tradition of cultural excellence associated with Brooklyn. Since several artists have roots in Brooklyn, its three main halls are named after famous Brooklynites: George Gershwin, Sam Levenson, and Walt Whitman.
