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| Concord's Musketaquid Earth Week festivities Musketaquid Arts and Environment announces the details of its 23rd annual Earth Week festivities that pay homage to International Earth Day, celebrated every year worldwide on April 22nd. Earth Week in Concord commences on Sunday April 21 with the Artists' Reception for Musketaquid's Earth Month Art Exhibit. The week culminates on a grade scale with its own Musketaquid Earth Day celebration held on Saturday, April 27. All Earth Week events will be presented in Concord, with many based at Emerson Umbrella Center for the Arts located at 40 Stow Street in Concord. Everyone is welcome to join in Musketaquid Earth Day and Earth Week, either as a participant or as an active observer. More information can be found at www.emersonumbrella.org/musketaquid or by contacting Musketaquid: 978-371-0820, x213, musketaquid@emersonumbrella.org. The Schedule for Musketaquid Earth Day, the culmination of all Musketaquid Earth Week activities: [All Musketaquid Earth Day events are free and open to all.] Saturday, April 27, 10 am-2 pm: Musketaquid Earth Day ☼ 10-10:45 am (rain or shine) River Ceremony All are welcome to join in at the Lowell Road Boat Launch located in Concord. Developed by participants in the river ceremony workshops, the ceremony will feature the Voices for the Earth Chorus, drums, floating sculptures and River and Land Sprites with watery sound, movement and song. The Earth Day Parade proceeds from this location. ☼ 10:45 am-noon (rain or shine) Earth Day Parade All are welcome to join in the Parade! Participants will line up by 10:45 am at the Lowell Road Bridge, near the Boat Launch. At 11 am, the Parade will travel from Lowell Road Bridge through the center of Concord to Emerson Umbrella. Large dancing puppets will be accompanied by stilters, La Piñata dancers, Alice Heller's Dancers and several musical groups such as the Musketaquid All-Star Brass Band (led by Billy Novick) and AfroBrazil (led by Marcus Santos). Parade participants include environmental, school and community groups, friends, families and all those passionate about celebrating the Earth. Side Shows, including folk rockers Snow Crow, will take place along the parade route starting at 10:30 am. ☼ 12 to 2 pm (in case of rain, the festival moves indoors) Arts & Environment Festival Music headliners for this year's festival are award-winning vocalist/composer Holly Brewer (of Humanwine fame, www.humanwine.org) and her new band The Folks Below (www.thefolksbelow.org). Their debut album, being recorded in early April, will be released in May. Also on the bill are The Squeezebox Stompers (www.squeezeboxstompers.com) with their rousing roadhouse roots/blues/cajun/zydeco tunes. Julie Corey of The Village Drum (www.thevillagedrum.com) will lead a community drum circle to get the musical proceedings rolling. Audio support by Zolla Productions. Food for sale by Farm To Table Café at Groton Wellness and water bubbler stations provided compliments of Concord Water. There will be information tables from several area environmental organizations, along with several art-making demonstrations. All held on the Emerson Umbrella grounds, 40 Stow Street in Concord, right after the arrival of the Earth Day Parade. The Schedule for Musketaquid Earth Week leading up to Musketaquid Earth Day: [All Musketaquid Earth Week events (except for the Rory Block concert on April 26) are free and open to all.] Each year, Musketaquid chooses a theme that best speaks to its passion for discovery within both art and nature. "EDGES: Where Habitats Meet, Where Habits Meet" is the theme for this year, and Musketaquid activities that began in mid-January in preparation for the Earth Month Art Exhibit (which runs from April 13 through May 5) and Earth Week activities, are all tied into the need to recognize and deepen one's connection and respect for their natural surroundings and finding a way to express that connection in an artistic manner, whether it be through the visual, performing, or literary arts. Sunday, April 21, 1-4 pm: River Ceremony Workshop Led by artist and certified InterPlay trainer CC King. This workshop, the second of two (the first to be held on Sat. April 13) will explore the many ways one can construct a floating sculpture out of natural branch and grass fibers. These sculptures will then be launched during the Earth Day River Ceremony, held the morning of April 27, providing a peaceful flotilla that makes its way down the Concord River to destinations real and imagined. The workshop location will be determined in early April. Sunday, April 21, 5-8 pm: Earth Month Art Exhibit Artists' Reception A non-juried art show which runs in the Emerson Umbrella Center for the Arts Gallery from April 13 through May 5. The exhibit features craft and fine art in two and three dimensions, as well as photography, video, and multi-media. The artists' reception will showcase live performances of music and spoken word. The winner of Musketaquid's first annual T-Shirt Design Contest, who will announced in early April, will be honored at the reception. The winning design will be emblazoned on the front of this year's Earth Day T-Shirt which will be available for purchase on Musketaquid Earth Day, April 27. Wednesday, April 24, 7:30-9 pm: Puppet Dress Rehearsal Final touches on preparing puppets for the Musketaquid Earth Day Parade. Led by puppet-making artist Morningstar Medaye and the Musketaquid Parade Team. Last minute participants welcome. Friday, April 26, 8 pm: Rory Block In Concert Presented during Musketaquid Earth Week by Emerson Umbrella Center for the Arts and sponsored by Concord-based Reasons To Be Cheerful (www.cheerful-reasons.com). Tickets are $25-$35. More information can be found specifically at www.emersonumbrella.org/rory-block. Further Background information: Founded in 1990, Musketaquid Arts & Environment, the environmental arts wing of Emerson Umbrella Center for the Arts, is a place-based program whose mission is to provide opportunities to create and experience art and to explore, learn about, celebrate and care for the local environment. For many years now, Musketaquid Arts and Environment has honored Mother Earth by devoting a special week in the Spring to celebrating the natural beauty of the Concord area, aptly described by Massachusetts' first people as musketaquid, the place where the waters flows through the grasses. During this time, Musketaquid rallies in a big way by presenting their own annual Musketaquid Earth Day to pay a special artistic tribute to Concord's beautiful natural surroundings, long recognized by the likes of Thoreau and Emerson. This year, Musketaquid Earth Day is sponsored by Concord-based Hands On Construction (www.handsonconcord.com). Visit www.emersonumbrella.org/musketaquid. Emerson Umbrella Center for the Arts enriches lives and builds a vibrant community through the arts. The Umbrella inspires creativity, learning, and personal growth through arts education programs, performing and visual arts presentations, and community collaborations. write your comments about the article :: © 2013 Jazz News :: home page |