Sunday in the park with the arts: Washington Square Park features a day of music, poetry and body-painters

Take a gander at Washington Square Park on any given Sunday and you’ll find anything and everything involving music, art, poetry and comedy — but last Sunday, there were also 50 or so naked people covered head-to-toe in body paint.

Such a spectacle may not happen again anytime soon, as the group shot that took place under the arch culminated the 10th annual Body Painting Day in what was the end of the run, according to organizer Andy Golub.

“After 10 years, it’s time to find new ways to bring people together, to empower and encourage people to be open to others.” Golub stated.

Sunday in the park with the arts: Washington Square Park features a day of music, poetry and body-painters 13 — The 10th Annual Body Painting Day ended with a group portrait in Washington Square Park. Organizer Andy Golub is at the bottom right, wearing a shirtPhoto by Bob Krasner

Sunday in the park with the arts: Washington Square Park features a day of music, poetry and body-painters 14 — The CantDanceCrew filming a video with the fountain ( and a few unwitting extras) in the background in Washington Square ParkPhoto by Bob Krasner

Sunday in the park with the arts: Washington Square Park features a day of music, poetry and body-painters 15 — The CantDanceCrew is, L-R: Cinematographer Hanna with Rose, Kerry, Julia, Kristine and CamillePhoto by Bob Krasner

Meanwhile, the CantDanceCrew was busy shooting a video in front of the fountain to the sounds of the NewJeans “Super Shy.” They describe themselves as “just a group of friends that want to dance!”

It’s an unofficial collective with different members showing up in various videos which have been filmed in Times Square and Hudson River Park, among other places. Most of them met in college, dancing together in a collegiate K-Pop Dance Cover Club and they continue to stick with that genre, occasionally branching out to J-Pop as well.

The resulting video, an impressive one-take shot, is already up on YouTube and Instagram.

Sunday in the park with the arts: Washington Square Park features a day of music, poetry and body-painters 16 — Alexis Manzano waiting for inspirationPhoto by Bob Krasner

Sunday in the park with the arts: Washington Square Park features a day of music, poetry and body-painters 17 — Alexis Manzano reading his just composed poemPhoto by Bob Krasner

In various spots one could find poets for hire, but Alexis Manzano seemed to be getting most of that action. Maybe it was his dapper style or possibly the flair with which he hit the keys on his manual Smith Corona (that’s a typewriter, kids … it’s what we used before computers).

On a good day, he kicks out around 20 poems for people based on the subject matter of their choosing, taking a tip after handing over the composition typed on apple-shaped cardstock. The topic requests run the gamut, with one of the odder ones coming from a customer who wanted an ode to his male genitalia.

Sunday in the park with the arts: Washington Square Park features a day of music, poetry and body-painters 18 — The fruits of their labors at the Project Feel pop-upPhoto by Bob Krasner

Sunday in the park with the arts: Washington Square Park features a day of music, poetry and body-painters 19 — Beads galore at Project FeelPhoto by Bob Krasner

Sunday in the park with the arts: Washington Square Park features a day of music, poetry and body-painters 20 — The Project Feel crew, L-R: George “Rare” Herrera, Christine Arquero, Daniela Sofía (top), Franco Colon (bottom), Elijah Da CostaPhoto by Bob Krasner

Nearby, the Project Feel group was running a very popular free arts and crafts pop-up, where various beads and wire were being turned into bracelets.

“As a media & production company deeply rooted in community, our aim is to foster connections with people at our Pop-Ups, offering a space for New Yorkers of all ages to explore their creativity while supporting the artists who collaborate with us,” George Herrera explained. “Today’s event gathered native New Yorkers and international travelers alike to create various arts + crafts together. It was a heartwarming reminder that art transcends borders, enabling strangers to find genuine connections through creative expression.”

Sunday in the park with the arts: Washington Square Park features a day of music, poetry and body-painters 21 — Nore Davis headlined the Laughter In The Park eventPhoto by Bob Krasner

Sunday in the park with the arts: Washington Square Park features a day of music, poetry and body-painters 22 — Will Chavez of the New York Yo-Yo Club getting fancyPhoto by Bob Krasner

There were plenty of other ways to occupy your mind, with live jazz on one side of the park and a mini stand-up comedy festival presented by NYLaughs.org on the other and art vendors everywhere.

Under the trees by the arch you can usually find the New York Yo-Yo Club, as they’ve been meeting there every Sunday for over a decade. The very friendly organizers of the New York State Yo-Yo Contest (Coney Island, Nov. 18) are happy to talk about the five different styles of competitive yo-yoing, the difference between plastic and metal yo-yos — and why a titanium model can set you back a thousand bucks. And they have no problem demonstrating a few tricks as well.

Sunday in the park with the arts: Washington Square Park features a day of music, poetry and body-painters 23 — There’s always an informal jam session on the south end of the parkPhoto by Bob Krasner

For further info and upcoming events, check out: Human Arts Connection at humanconnectionarts.org , CantDanceCrew on Instagram and YouTube at @CantDanceCrew , Alexis Manzano at appletreepoetry.com and Instagram @appletreepoetry , New York Yo-Yo Club at newyorkyoyoclub.com and Instagram at @nyyyc and Project Feel at projectfeel.com and @project.feel on instagram