EVERYONE LOVES A PARADE (AND WORKSHOPS)
Our Annual Free-Form Parade, June 2
Brilliant migrations are a wonder to behold!
Continuing the tradition of opening the Sunday Lummis Day festivities with a cavalcade of puppets, the Arroyo Arts Collective presents Butterflies & Bees: Beyond Borders.
The event is a gleefully unstructured procession which starts at the base of the Southwest Museum. Once lined up and packed with joy, our “Fluttering Friends” take to the streets with music from Latino folk band “Cuñao,” a Lummis Days favorite. The spirited marching will start at high noon and continue to Sycamore Grove Park, where the puppets and puppeteers take part in the traditional Tongva blessing to open the Lummis Days Festival.
All that is required to march, dance, ride, skip or hop along in the procession is an animal or insect-themed costume, puppet, doll, hat, mask, scarf or any other accessory. Wild flights of imagination are heartily encouraged. For this event, nothing is too subtle or too baroque. We welcome insect costumes, hats and masks, so brush up your antennae and shine your exoskeleton. Individuals, families, and teams; all are welcome!
The Butterflies & Bees procession celebrates the dazzling creativity of Northeast L.A. and honors the Arroyo Seco, a tributary of the Los Angeles River. Marchers will pay tribute to the species of insects which roam and reside in the lands adjacent to the Arroyo Seco. Native to this region and leading the procession in majestic fashion will be the Monarch Butterfly, a giant puppet created by Master Puppeteer Beth Peterson. Peterson will also outfit the musical band as a swarm of Honey Bees, also common to the Arroyo Seco region.
AAC invites you to join in, have fun, meet your neighbors and make a puppet to march with us! Inspiration for participation can be drawn from anything animal. We are looking for artists, designers, and puppeteers to present and parade original work!
Our 4th Annual Puppet-Making “SOIREE”
Join us for a workshop for adults at the Audubon Center at Debs Park. The “SOIREE” is an evening to socialize and create imaginative fluttery puppets and costumes under the guidance of Master Artist Beth Elliott. Light fare and refreshments will be enjoyed!
Many “Fluttering Friends” Puppet Workshops
Please join the Arroyo Arts Collective for a series of free and family friendly paper bag puppet workshops. This year’s theme features beautiful Monarch butterflies, whose brilliant migrations are wonders to behold, and the bees that swarm to find new homes and to pollinate our food and flowers.
April 30, 3-4:30pm, Cypress Park Library
May 15, 3-5pm, Eagle Rock Library
May 18, 3-5pm, Arroyo Seco Regional Library
May 19, 12-4pm, Southwest Museum
June 2, 1:30-3:30pm, Sycamore Grove Park
Then on Sunday, June 2, we hope you will bring your puppet(s) and join us for the 4th annual Lummis Day Puppet Parade. Starting at 11am, we’ll walk from the Southwest Museum to Sycamore Grove to mark the beginning of Lummis Day. We welcome insect costumes, hats and masks, so brush up your antennae and shine your exoskeleton.
Bees and Butterflies: Beyond Borders is made possible in part through the generous support of the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles, the Autry Museum of the American West, the Lummis Day Community Foundation, and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.