Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Block Party Pow Wow coming to Carroll Gardens Saturday
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Aug 14, 2026
Modified Aug 14, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Courtesy of Spiderwoman Theater
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Aug 14, 2026
Modified Aug 14, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
New York City is a uniquely difficult place to hold a powwow, which makes this Saturday’s Block Party Pow Wow in Carroll Gardens all the more unique.
“It really is supposed to be a space to be able to let loose and be in community,” Josephine Tarrant said from her grandmother’s living room on Degraw Street in Carroll Gardens. “It’s just like nothing else exists. It’s just dancing, singing, people around you. You can really clear your head.”
Powwows require a lot of space — for performers to change, for performers to perform, for community to congregate. Elsewhere, there are lodges, meeting houses, fields, but in Gotham “we don’t have that.”
They also require “a lot of work — a lot of work” to organize, Tarrant said.
This year called for a big celebration: It’s Tarrant's great aunt Glorial Miguel’s 100th birthday, as well as the 50th anniversary of Spiderwoman Theater, a pioneering Indigenous storytelling troupe Gloria cofounded with her sisters Muriel Miguel and the late Lisa Mayo in 1976.
So Tarrant organized this Saturday’s Block Party Pow Wow, which will take place from 1 to 5 P.M. on Degraw Street between Court and Smith Streets. The event is free and open to the public, and will feature Indigenous dancers, drummers and singers, neighborhood vendors and speakers, and screened excerpts of Spiderwoman’s work.
“Someone asked me how and why I started Spiderwoman and all that I could think of is that I was angry. I was really, really angry,” said Muriel, who is Tarrant’s grandmother. Growing up in Brooklyn, in this same Degraw St. house, Muriel was disgusted by the sexist behavior she witnessed around town. “ I really could not stand walking down the block and having men whistle at me or try to pinch me,” she said. “So I started to tell stories. Other people started to tell stories.”
The group has never had a permanent home but has always had “ a lot of friends” including La Mama, which is hosting a gala for Spiderwoman this fall.
Today, Spiderwoman – which is named for the Hopi creation goddess – is the self-described oldest continually running Native feminist theater company in the Americas. And to celebrate its semicentennial, Tarrant is curating the block party powwow, a unique concept.
“Most people who are coming, both anybody who's dancing or singing or people who are attending who are Native, have never been to a block party that's a powwow, that has never existed before,” said Tarrant.
In addition to being a celebration, a neighborhood party and a cultural event, Saturday will also be something of a family reunion. Many are traveling from afar.
“Pretty much all my family will be in town,” Tarrant said.
Tarrant and Miguel both hope the event will enrapture young Native Americans to the beauty of their culture and traditions.
“I think that's kind of what the goal is with this, is to really try to make the Native people who are from around here feel comfortable and feel like they have community,” Tarrant said. “That's really what it's about.”
Spiderwoman Theater’s Block Party Pow Wow will take place Saturday, Aug. 15 from 1 to 5 p.m. on Degraw Street between Court and Smith Streets. It is free and open to the public.
Tagged
Existing in New York City
Race And Justice Unit
brooklyn
culture
events
Hannah Frishberg
Hannah Frishberg covers New York City arts and culture. Got a tip? Email Hannah at [email protected].
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Ever wish you could get paid to walk through a stranger’s house? ‘The Scout’ is for you.
A new film focuses on the strange career of a location scout in New York City.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Sep 26, 2026
There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.
See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Arts & Entertainment
There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.
See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.
By
Hannah Frishberg
A massive MTA archive ended up in a Virginia warehouse. A Brooklyn man brought it home.
By
Hannah Frishberg
How a Harry Styles pop-up in the East Village led to a nearby bookstore owner's arrest
By
Sonia Rao
NYC’s creative workers are increasingly self-employed, report says
By
Hannah Frishberg
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .