BeSAA’s Bed-Stuy Alive!

BeSAA is a collective of artists whose goal is to gather visual artists of various cultures and bring them together in the local community to network and support each other. Bed-Stuy Alive!’s purpose is to stimulate Bed-Stuy’s economy and promote community pride.

Photo: So many customers showed up at neighborhood favorite, Bread Stuy, that the line serpentined, as happy visitors and regular friends gathered to have a taste of Bread Stuy’s delicious vibe and flavor during Bed Stuy Alive! weekend.  Bread Stuy Cafe’ is a Bed-Stuy jewel where people of all cultures come to enjoy delicious lattes, comforting desserts, tasty wraps, hearty soups and refreshing smoothies, vibing to cool urban and world rhythms while surfing the net, reading or just having a friendly tête-à-tête.    Bread Stuy is located at 403 Lewis Avenue between McDonough Avenue and DeKalb Avenue in historic Bed-Stuy.  www.breadstuy.com

On October 21st and October 22nd, celebrating community, entrepreneurship and community pride, the second annual Bed-Stuy Alive! tour, took place.  Everyone was invited to come and check out the local eateries, visit members of the Bed Stuy Artists’ Association (BeSAA) in their studios and local shops and tour the beautiful Brownstones of Bed Stuy. 


Highlights of the event:

It was a two-day tasting exhibition where visitors and community residents can come in and taste the exquisite flavors of 23 participating Bed Stuy restaurants along Fulton Street and inner blocks.  The restaurants represent a rich cross-section of cultures reflecting the diversity of Bed Stuy.  Participating restaurant will set up a table outside their establishment and offer inexpensive samples from the menu.  Live jazz and Caribbean music will add to the ambiance.

The Third Annual Studio Strut is sponsored by the Bedford-Stuyvesant Artists’ Association (BeSAA).  BeSAA is a collective of artists whose goal is to gather visual artists of various cultures and bring them together in the local community to network and support each other.  The Strut has introduced hundreds of people to the works of local artists and attracted more than 500 visitors last year.  Visitors and community residents will have the chance to view artwork and meet the artists in various studios, homes, restaurants and other venues.

Saturday, October 21st only, the popular Homebuyers Seminar and Tour begins.  Homes were open to the publilc from 11:00 am until 4:00 pm.  The starting point was the Old Boys High School at 832 Marcy Avenue (between Putnam and Jefferson Avenues). This event is sponsored by the Brownstoners of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Inc.  Proceeds from the Tour will support scholarships for Boys and Girls High School.  Tickets for the tour are $20.  The Seminar begins at 9:00 am.

There will other exciting events also took place in celebration of Bed-Stuy Alive!  There was a performance of excerpts from one of the most powerful community theatre works, the MAAFA Suite – described as a “staged psychodrama depicting the capture, enslavement and survival of millions of Africans.”  Excerpts from the MAAFA Suite will be performed at Mt. Pisgah Baptist  Church where Rev. Johnny Ray Youngblood is Pastor.  Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church is located at 222 Tompkins Avenue at DeKalb Avenue.  This event will be held on both Saturday, October 21st and Sunday, October 22nd beginning at 3:00 pm until 5:00 pm.

Footprints of Our History, an exhibit of African American artifacts was on display at Siloam Presbyterian Church.  Siloam Presbyterian Church is located at 260 Jefferson Avenue.  Rev. Dr. Darryl Young is Pastor.  Exhibit hours are Saturday, October 21st from 10:00 am until 7:00 pm and Sunday, October 22nd from 2:00 pm until 6:00 pm.

The Madonna della Pieta was on display at Our Lady of Victory Church on Saturday, October 21st and Sunday October 22nd at 2:00 pm and again at 4:00 pm at 583 Throop Avenue and Macon Street and there was a commentary by Olivia Cousins.  The church is available for general viewing Saturday and Sunday from 2:00 pm until 7:00 pm.

The historic Weeksville located at 1698 Bergen Street between Buffalo and Rochester Avenues.site was available for touring on Saturday. 

This special event is sponsored by the Bed-Stuy Alive! Collective which consists of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Artists’ Association (BeSAA), Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, Bridge Street Development Corporation, The Brownstoners of Bedford Stuyvesant, Inc. and Community Board No. 3.  Support was also given from the Brooklyn Tourism, an initiative of Borough President, Marty Markowitz, additional support was provided by Councilman Al Vann and Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar, Super Foodtown, stiZZy and AM&G Waterproofing.  The purpose of Bed-Stuy Alive! is to stimulate Bed-Stuy’s economy and promote community pride.

Maps for the Studio Strut and Restaurant Taste were distributed at Bushbaby, located at 1197 Fulton Street, near Bedford Avenue; Leroy’s Framing and Gift Shop, 1549B Fulton Street, Near Throop Avenue; and Bread Stuy, 403 Lewis Avenue, near MacDonough Street.


For more information on the Bedford-Stuyvesant Artists’ Association (BeSAA), logon to www.BeSAA.org

For more information on Community Board No. 3, call (718) 622-6601

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One thought on “BeSAA’s Bed-Stuy Alive!

  1. Hi there! This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading through this post reminds me of my previous room mate! He always kept talking about this. I will forward this article to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read. Thank you for sharing!

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