Brooklyn Museum First Saturdays February 2023

For twenty-five years, Brooklyn Museum has hosted First Saturdays—monthly evenings of free programming welcoming visitors from central Brooklyn and beyond—at the Brooklyn Museum. Join the first Saturday of February–August and October, 5–11 pm. This event is free, but advance registration is encouraged. Admission is subject to capacity at the time of arrival.

Purchase separate tickets to Thierry Mugler: Couturissime for $25. An afternoon/evening ticket will get you into First Saturdays as well if sold out.

Theme: Legacy

Ring in Black History Month and celebrate twenty-five years of First Saturdays! This month’s theme honors the legacy of Black artistic production in Brooklyn. The evening’s events vibrate with the creative excellence of Black artists who are shaping the borough’s culture today and of throwback performers who put First Saturdays on the map.

Schedule:
SIGNATURE COCKTAIL BY ODE TO BABEL
Throughout the Museum
5–10 pm
Enjoy a specialty cocktail that pays tribute to First Saturdays’ vibes, created by our local Crown Heights bar Ode to Babel.

HANDS-ON ART
Great Hall, 1st Floor, and Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor
5–7 pm
Work with adidas S.E.E.D. (School for Experiential Education in Design) staff and Museum educators on sketching your own sneaker designs.

MUSIC: JELANI AKIL BAUMAN
Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Lobby, 1st Floor
5–6 pm
Hailing from New Orleans, trumpeter Jelani Akil Bauman comes from a long lineage of musicians who have shaped the culture of jazz in the United States.

BROOKLYN POP-UP MARKET
Beaux-Arts Court, 3rd Floor
5–9:30 pm
Stop by our market to shop one-of-a-kind, handmade items from more than thirty artisans and vendors from across Brooklyn, featuring artwork, jewelry, fashion, home and apothecary goods, and more. This month, we are joined by Urban Outfitters, which celebrates Black History Month at a table stocked with exclusive collections from Ron Bass, Riveriswild, Oswin Benjamin, Electric Circus, and other designers.

DANCE: A MOTHER’S RITE BY JEREMY MCQUEEN’S BLACK IRIS PROJECT
Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, 3rd Floor
6–7:15 pm
Jeremy McQueen’s Emmy Award–winning Black Iris Project performs A Mother’s Rite, a ballet inspired by the countless Black mothers who have lost children to police brutality and racially targeted violence. Followed by a Q&A with McQueen and dancer Fana Tesfagiorgis.

POETRY: SUPA DUPA FRESH
The Norm Restaurant and Bar, 1st Floor
6–8 pm
Poets Mahogany L. Browne, Adam Falkner, Rico Frederick, Jive Poetic, and Jon Sands host a special edition of the reading series Supa Dupa Fresh, with featured reader Jamaal St. John. Drop in to hear original work inspired by the theme of legacy, as well as music by Jive Poetic, who is also a DJ. Plus, snag the evening’s signature drink by Ode to Babel, a Crown Heights favorite and the monthly host of Supa Dupa Fresh.

CURATOR TALK: AMERICAN ART
Luce Center for American Art, 5th Floor
6:30–7:30 pm
Curator Stephanie Sparling Williams explores the theme of legacy in a tour highlighting Black artists in the American Art galleries.

MUSIC: YAYA BEY
Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Lobby, 1st Floor
7–8 pm
Brooklyn-born singer-songwriter Yaya Bey blends rhythm and blues with jazz, reggae, and Afrobeat. The music pays tribute to fed-up women everywhere through the themes of misogynoir, generational trauma, carefree romance, and self-love.

MUSIC: THE LAY OUT
Beaux-Arts Court, 3rd Floor
7–10 pm
The Lay Out, a community event formed during the pandemic, celebrates the legacy of making spaces for Black joy and creativity in Fort Greene Park. With DJ sets by Niara Sterling and Quiana Parks, and percussion by Frankie Malloy.

TEEN POP-UP TALKS
Luce Center for American Art, 5th Floor
7:30–8:30 pm
Join teen staff for pop-up talks highlighting contemporary works by Black artists in the American Art galleries.

MUSIC: DELMAR BROWNE
Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Lobby, 1st Floor
8–10 pm
Flatbush native and DJ Delmar Browne returns to First Saturdays with his signature mix of classic disco, house, funk, and soul.

FILM: THE SOUND SHE SAW
Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, 3rd Floor
8:30–10 pm
The Sound She Saw (Crystal Whaley, 2022, 51 min.) spotlights groundbreaking contemporary Black women photographers, revealing their histories and struggles while celebrating their work. The film also answers a compelling question: What happens when a Black woman photographer has the agency to reverse the gaze and see the world through her unique lens? The screening is followed by a talkback with the filmmaker and subjects.