Art at the Heart of the Beast
I have written over the years about attending the In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater's annual May Day parade and ceremony. I went to a fundraiser for HOTB earlier this month (thank you for inviting me, 
minnehaha K., and sorry I didn't have more money to cough up for a worthy cause). The fundraiser was a lovely occasion. I was quite interested to hear what the artistic director had to say on that occasion about their mission: They create performances, just like any theater company, but they also work for various social justice causes. And, perhaps most interestingly enough, they create rituals: for individuals, for families and for communities. I really love rituals, which is partly why I love May Day so much.
However, although we have enjoyed the parade and ceremony at Powderhorn Park, we have never participated in the planning/making workshops or the parade itself. So we stopped by the theater today for a two hour workshop. I had been thinking lately that I need to do something to bring more art into my life; I love the HOTB and the May Day parade, and I thought it would be fun make the parade a different kind of experience for us this year. In February, members of the community meet with theater artists, and all brainstorm together to envision a "parade story," which will talk about what people agree needs to be said. Then, starting in April, people meet to bring that vision into a reality. We heard the artistic director describe the different sections of the parade and then we had to decide which section we would like to join. The theme this year is "Common Ground."
Delia was attracted to the portion of the parade which talks about listening to your heart, and emphasizes drumbeats (the earth's heartbeat) and the celestial. This section of the parade is deep sky and dark blue, with elephants (large listening ears) and giraffes (with long necks that reach up into the heavens). Delia started making a giraffe mask out of cardboard. In the weeks to come, it will be painted a brilliant deep blue, with stars for spots, and then the mask will be mounted on a long neck over her head.
Fiona and I were drawn to the section of the parade which has been designed partly in honor of the new downtown library which will be opening two weeks after the May Day parade. This section is called "Check out the Common wealth" (?) and has a lot of book-themed parts. Fiona is part of the Banned Book Band: she spent the day painting the cover of a banned book (she chose Eragon by Christopher Paolini). These will march along, and then will periodically be liberated by the "liberation librarians," a force fighting for freedom against forces of censorship (symbolized by the bookworms). I may join this section, too; haven't decided yet.
The two hours went very quickly. The girls had worn okay-to-be-splashed-by-paint clothes, but much to my annoyance, Fiona absently stuffed the paint smock they had given her under her chair instead of wearing it, and then got paint on her windbreaker, since she had never bothered to take it off.
We stopped at the May Day Cafe for treats afterwards (it seemed appropriate) and look forward to going back next week. A fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
minnehaha K., and sorry I didn't have more money to cough up for a worthy cause). The fundraiser was a lovely occasion. I was quite interested to hear what the artistic director had to say on that occasion about their mission: They create performances, just like any theater company, but they also work for various social justice causes. And, perhaps most interestingly enough, they create rituals: for individuals, for families and for communities. I really love rituals, which is partly why I love May Day so much.
However, although we have enjoyed the parade and ceremony at Powderhorn Park, we have never participated in the planning/making workshops or the parade itself. So we stopped by the theater today for a two hour workshop. I had been thinking lately that I need to do something to bring more art into my life; I love the HOTB and the May Day parade, and I thought it would be fun make the parade a different kind of experience for us this year. In February, members of the community meet with theater artists, and all brainstorm together to envision a "parade story," which will talk about what people agree needs to be said. Then, starting in April, people meet to bring that vision into a reality. We heard the artistic director describe the different sections of the parade and then we had to decide which section we would like to join. The theme this year is "Common Ground."
Delia was attracted to the portion of the parade which talks about listening to your heart, and emphasizes drumbeats (the earth's heartbeat) and the celestial. This section of the parade is deep sky and dark blue, with elephants (large listening ears) and giraffes (with long necks that reach up into the heavens). Delia started making a giraffe mask out of cardboard. In the weeks to come, it will be painted a brilliant deep blue, with stars for spots, and then the mask will be mounted on a long neck over her head.
Fiona and I were drawn to the section of the parade which has been designed partly in honor of the new downtown library which will be opening two weeks after the May Day parade. This section is called "Check out the Common wealth" (?) and has a lot of book-themed parts. Fiona is part of the Banned Book Band: she spent the day painting the cover of a banned book (she chose Eragon by Christopher Paolini). These will march along, and then will periodically be liberated by the "liberation librarians," a force fighting for freedom against forces of censorship (symbolized by the bookworms). I may join this section, too; haven't decided yet.
The two hours went very quickly. The girls had worn okay-to-be-splashed-by-paint clothes, but much to my annoyance, Fiona absently stuffed the paint smock they had given her under her chair instead of wearing it, and then got paint on her windbreaker, since she had never bothered to take it off.
We stopped at the May Day Cafe for treats afterwards (it seemed appropriate) and look forward to going back next week. A fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon.