Date/Time
Date(s) - Saturday, Aug 29
6:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Location
Concrete Couch
Categories
Calling all COS artists and people who like to make stuff! The Rocky Mountain Puppetry Guild, Poetry 719, and Concrete Couch are hosting a community puppet build for Black Lives Matter and we want your voice included in this project! All ages and abilities welcome to participate.
Link to submit artwork, ideas, and stories here: tinyurl.com/GaiaCommunityBuild
Concrete Couch (214 E Vermijo) OUTDOORS – park along the median for FREE parking – 20ppl max at any given time so RSVP in advance. We will be wearing masks and practicing physical distancing.
As Toni Cade Bambara says, “The role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible.” A large puppet of Gaia, as a Black woman is being created as a community project in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The puppet will display local artwork and poetry. Gaia (11ft project) will be largely poetry and words and we need the words of the community especially Black women and femme voices! Gaia will be presented in the park on August 28th in solidarity with the march on Washington in honor of George Floyd. Exact time and location TBD.
Ways to participate:
• Join the text update list! (rates apply). Text “gaia” to 31996 for community puppet build text updates.
• SAT evenings starting at 6pm @ Concrete Couch (247 E Vermijo) – come build puppets and decoration for Gaia together OUTDOORS! Masks will be worn. 20 ppl max at a time allowed onsite. RSVP for FREE ticket here to ensure safety and a spot at the outdoor build.
• Submit a piece of art, poetry, words or thoughts to the survey here: tinyurl.com/GaiaCommunityBuild
• Join the virtual poetry writing workshop hosted by Poetry 719 on Aug. 15th at 6:30pm mst on ZOOM!! Free event. Poetry719 will have a workshop, open mic just for Black voices, and a fantastic feature from @haroldrappii
• Drop off things on Aug 1st, 15th, or 29th to Concrete Couch such as: your own piece of fabric (BYOF), paper with your words, thoughts, stories, or quotes to be added to the robes.
Call for Materials:
~ things for drumming! (such as chopsticks, empty kitty litter buckets, coffee cans, etc)
~ yard sticks, wooden dowels, bamboo, rods (old broom sticks work) to reinforce protest puppet structures
~ fabric (BYOF) and materials for Gaia’s robes
Call for Black Lives Matter 2021 Gaia Procession:
We are looking to gather folks for the procession (parade) in 2021 through historically anti-Black neighborhoods of COS (such as the Broadmoor) to help animate Gaia as her entourage. The ensemble includes, but is not limited to:
Help animate Gaia as her entourage through historically anti-Black neighborhoods of COS. The ensemble includes, but is not limited to:
~ protest captains
~ production / stage managers
~ children’s education / art teachers / K-12 educators
~ hair braiding stylist and design team
~ costume designers / sewing skills
~ singers / vocalists / choir / chorus
~ drummers / musicians / brass and marching band
~ dancers / vogue and ballroom / breakdance
~ jugglers / stilt walkers / street performers
Giant puppets have a long history in protests, as made famous by the “Bread and Puppet” troop in New York in the 60’s and 70’s. And today in Minneapolis each year with “In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre” annual May Day parade.
Founder Pete Schumann says, “It’s the freedom that you get when you can do things because of America’s garbage and the freedom of doing gigantic things for almost nothing, with just collaboration, with just people power.”
All are welcome who want to help contribute to this mobile art piece for use in marches and protests, to display the poetry of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The concept for the base puppet:
GAIA, the Divine Mother, weeping for her lost children. Her mourning robe bears the names of those lost to police violence, of artwork and poetry, carrying the words and pictures of those grieving this loss and calling for protection and change.
For the robes, we plan to add pieces of paper and fabric and patchwork quilt the pieces of art and poetry together. Poems can be one-word such as, “MAMA”.
You can come to the build, or submit a poem or piece of art to be featured on the puppet digitally too!
tinyurl.com/GaiaCommunityBuild
Come build with us every other Saturday @ Concrete Couch – 214 E Vermijo for an outdoor community puppet build (Aug 1, 15, 29). RSVP encouraged.