The art room at The Brooklyn Brownstone School (TBBS) in Bed-Stuy is a vital space for creativity, imagination, and self-expression. It is more than a classroom—it's a sanctuary for our young learners, a cornerstone of our arts education, and a much-needed space for hands-on exploration and community-building.

As a growing elementary school that already shares a building with two other schools, TBBS has limited access to common areas. The art room has served as a crucial community space—hosting our book fair, volunteer-led afterschool enrichment programs, and community meetings.

It also gives students the opportunity to immerse themselves in art education away from their regular classrooms, offering teachers a quiet window for planning, parent meetings, and professional collaboration.

Just two days before the start of the 2025 school year, the art room was abruptly reassigned as a general classroom—without notice or input from the TBBS community. This sudden decision has left our students without a vital resource and has severely impacted our ability to deliver quality arts education.

Why a Dedicated Art Room Matters:

• It offers a creative, inspiring environment that fosters focus, hands-on learning, and collaboration.
• It provides essential storage for art materials and long-term student projects.
• Students benefit from physically transitioning to a space specifically designed to nurture artistic expression—with large tables, messy mediums, and a variety of tools.
• Our beloved art teacher, Ms. Saftler, delivers rich, in-depth lessons that span weeks, utilize a wide range of materials, and surround students with works-in-progress and inspiration. These experiences cannot be replicated through “art on a cart.”
• It frees up classrooms to allow teachers to plan and conduct meetings, and it serves as an important community space for a school in a shared building.

We urge the Department of Education to restore the dedicated art room to TBBS—not only for the 2025–2026 school year, but as a permanent commitment to the importance of arts education for our children.

Let’s make arts education a priority.
Please sign this petition to support the restoration of the art room at The Brooklyn Brownstone School.