Art and Ecology: Workshop

Over the past 11 years Earth Celebrations has developed numerous partnerships with schools, community centers, and gardens, providing after-school and weekend workshops that engage youth to explore and research the valuable natural resources in their neighborhood, such as the community gardens. Three months prior to the pageant, planning meetings and production workshops bring together the diverse partnership of people, children and youth from all cultural backgrounds, interest groups, local organizations, and gardens, to work together on the creation of the pageant. Visiting professional artists working in a variety of media, conduct workshops in community centers, churches, gardens, and at Earth Celebrations centrally located workshop studio at 638 East 6th Street. The workshops teach a variety of artistic skills and produce puppets, costumes, dance, performances, and group art projects that are presented at particular gardens throughout the pageant. Earth Celebrations workshops are open to public and free of charge. The workshops engage children to research local garden history and important community issues, through field trips to the gardens and interviews with gardeners. They also explore, observe, and study the diverse plant and animal species in their neighborhood gardens. These collective ideas are woven into artworks and performances for the pageants. The workshop series, March through May, culminates in the enactment of the 8-hour Rites of Spring Garden Pageant, visiting network of over 40 Lower East Side community gardens. The workshops November -January culminate in the Winter Pageant, an illuminated procession and performance at the La Plaza Cultural Garden.