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Artpark, a top destination for performing and visual arts for more than 42 years, has announced new works and additional programming for families and daily visitors of all ages:
Visual Arts
Percussion garden by David Cossin (Bang on a Can), Glenn Kotche (Wilco) and Dave Hind
A percussion garden by two of the country's most prominent percussion artists will be installed in the lower park near the Emerald Grove stage and include "Swing Set and Chime Tree by David Cossin," and "Earth Drums by Glenn Kotche," along with a temporary free-standing instrument, "Scorpiotron," by Dave Hind. Each will present playful opportunities for visitors to explore the different ways to interact and produce sound while posing curious questions on the nature of a performance, music-making and relationships within the natural environment of the park.
The percussion garden is free and open to the public from dawn until dusk each day. "Scorpiotron" will only be available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays, June 26 through Aug. 28. Each "Scorpiotron" morning, University at Buffalo percussion department students will start playing the instrument and then invite anyone who may wish to join (11 a.m. to 1p.m.).
The percussion garden opening event is set for 3 p.m. June 26. The opening will feature performances by UB percussion ensemble students as well as the garden's creators.
This year's "Music in the Woods" series (4 p.m. Sundays) will be directly tied to the percussion garden with a program curated by Tom Kolor of the UB percussion ensemble.
'Earthsong' by Carin Jean White
Haudenosaunee stories and song will fill the air near the Hopewell burial mound on July 9. This installation shares Native American heritage and culture, and draws attention to the natural environment of the area.
'Bower' by Ellen Driscoll and Joyce Hwang, curated by City as a Living Laboratory/Mary Miss
"Bower" is a multimedia installation joining glass with a series of interrelated architectural structures meant to promote awareness and interest in local bird species. The Buffalo Audubon Society will also curate an educational program on the site of the installation (details to be announced in July).
This installation, curated by a returning Artpark artist Mary Miss ("Blind Set 1976") and her City as a Living Laboratory organization is the inaugural program for a new, multiyear initiative at Artpark: "Artpark as a Living Laboratory." The mission of this initiative, led by Mary Miss, is to make sustainability tangible through the arts.
Chuck Tingley's mural
Working Artist Residency Program at Artpark
Artpark has selected MFA student Julian Majewski from Ontario College of Art and Design to complete a three-week working artist residency. The working artist residency program will run June 6-27, with the artist living in the community and crafting an art experience on the Artpark grounds.
Artpark encourages visitors and art classes to watch Majewski as he creates, or to view the installations once they are complete. Majewski will be on site from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays beginning June 6.
'Artpark After Dark' Series
New artistic programming is geared for late teens and adults. It will be offered on the Mainstage Theater terrace and in the Artpark Gallery.
Gallery: Third Thursday Artist Talk Series
A series of artist talks and receptions will be offered from 6-8 p.m. every third Thursday of the month in conjunction with four shows in the Artpark Gallery across from the box office. Patrons are encouraged to attend. Admission and parking are free.
This year's gallery season focuses on artists from the Lewiston and Buffalo areas. Beginning on June 22, the gallery will host a group show curated by Jacob Kassay, a native Lewiston artist who now resides in Los Angeles.
Kassay's installations are a complement to the late-June arrival of three new outdoor installations in the park. The title "Beautiful Young Men" references the group show itself and specifically the photograph series of Marina Pinsky.
When "Baila Brazil" is performing in the Mainstage Theater, the gallery will be filled with the vibrant and playful work of artist and educator Bruce Adams. In dialogue with the family production of fairytale "Hansel and Gretel" on the Mainstage Theater stage, Amy Greenan brings her vibrant text-based paintings and evocative house series.
The gallery's regular hours are from noon until 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays, and with theater performances.
Paint Night
A paint night led by Bruce Adams will take place on from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, July 29, on the Mainstage Theater terrace. Admission is $35 and includes canvas, paints, brushes and a glass of wine. Parking is free. Additional wine can be purchased at the event. To register, call the box office at 716-754-9000.
'Silent Disco'
The Rochester Fringe Festival brings "Silent Disco" to Lewiston. It will take place late summer on the Mainstage Theater terrace. Patrons will put on their headphones and dance to three different DJ channels. Dates will be announced on Artpark's website.
Live Painting Events by Philip Burke and Chuck Tingley at Artpark Amphitheater Concerts
Artpark has begun a new partnership with Philip Burke, a Niagara Falls-born major American illustrator widely known for his renditions of contemporary musicians featured on the pages of major magazines. His work also has been exhibited at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Look for Burke painting his famous caricatures of the bands during the Band Perry (July 5) and Ben Folds (July 13) concerts. The paintings will be raffled off to the public and proceeds will benefit Artpark's Rock Workshop.
Niagara County artist Chuck Tingley will return to Artpark this summer. He is known for his colorful and somewhat dreamlike large-scale portraits and murals, as seen on the exterior wall of the Artpark Gallery. This summer, he will live paint during the OAR concert at Artpark (Aug. 3).
Tingley was awarded a grant in 2015. The funding will be implemented this summer.
Family Programs
"Free Family Saturdays" take place from noon until 4 p.m. July 2, 9, 23 and 30 in Artpark's amphitheater area. Niagara University Repertory Theatre (NURT) will perform each week along with other special guest performers.
A variety of "make and take" workshops are available at each installment of "Family Saturdays."
Families can visit these creatively themed workshop stations at their leisure:
NURT performs at 1 and 3 p.m. each week.
Artpark's amphitheater in the upper park can be accessed via the Portage Road entrance (walk down the red brick road) or through the South Fourth Street entrance nearest the Mainstage Theater (walk up the red brick road). There is no on-site parking fee. For large groups, contact Director of Visual Arts and Family Programs Tanis Winslow in advance at 716-754-9000, ext. 105.
'Music in the Woods'
Curated by Kolor and Cossin, the 4 p.m. Sunday program includes:
'Free Family Movie Night'
Join in for a night out under the stars with your loved ones and friends. "Free Family Movie Night" features a full-length, child-appropriate film shown on A Jumbotron in the upper park amphitheater area.
Admission and parking are free. Families can enjoy snacks and beverages at a low cost from Artpark's Amphitheater concessions. Patrons should enter at the Portage Road entrance near DiMino's Lewiston Tops and continue to parking lot B. From there, they should proceed on foot to the upper information center located along the red brick road. Turn right at the upper information center take your hillside seating.
Chairs and blankets are welcome, as none will be provided.
The schedule includes "Inside Out" at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 15, and "The Incredibles" at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 22.
Baila Brazil Carnival
On Saturday, July 16, a family parade and festival brings Brazil to Lewiston and Lewiston to Brazil. Bale de Rua, from the Mainstage Theater show "Baila Brazil," and Lewiston dancers and community groups come together to celebrate Brazilian culture, music and dance.
Full "Baila Brazil" performances are at 8 p.m. July 14-17 and 2 p.m. July 17. Find more information at http://www.artpark.net/baila-brazil.
'Hansel & Gretel'
Artpark presents "Hansel & Gretel" Aug. 4-7. The original production is based on the Brothers' Grimm classic, conceived by Carin Jean White, and written by New York playwright Daniel Goldstein ("Godspell" on Broadway; the Kleban Prize for Musical Theatre).
White directs the show, with set and lighting design by Lynne Koscielniak (UB theater department). The audience will be invited to experience the familiar fairy tale and Artpark in an entirely new and delightful way, starting in a marketplace in the Mainstage Theater courtyard, trailing behind Hansel and Gretel deep into the "woods."
Tickets will go on sale June 27.
The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
The BPO will perform an all-Beethoven program conducted by JoAnn Falletta and featuring pianist Igor Lipinski at 3 p.m. Sunday, July 24, in the Mainstage Theater. Tickets range from $19-$49 and are on sale now through www.artpark.net and www.tickets.com; by phone at 1-888-223-6000; or in person at the Artpark box office, 450 S. Fourth St., Lewiston (10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, until 9 p.m. on concert nights).
For more information on Artpark events, visit www.artpark.net.