Earth Celebrations
Engaging Communities to Generate Ecological and Social Change through the Arts

ECOLOGICAL CITY – Art & Climate Solutions Action Project

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Art Building Community, Collaboration & Climate Action

Join us in creating what is possible for a sustainable future!

ECOLOGICAL CITY – Art & Climate Solutions Action project applies Earth Celebrations’ innovative cultural strategies to engage our Lower East Side community and build engagement, collaboration and action on climate challenges and solutions to mitigate impacts of flooding and sea-level rise, decrease waste, improve water quality and conservation, cultivate sustainable urban agriculture and reduce carbon and global warming.

9 months of educational research, design, planning sessions, and Art & Climate Solution Workshops, engage our community, including gardeners, residents, artists, youth, schools and organizations, to work together creatively and mobilize action on climate solutions throughout the community gardens, neighborhood and waterfront. Community participants collaborate with Earth Celebrations’ artists-in-residence and environmental experts, to learn about local climate solution initiatives and develop visual art and performance works addressing the climate challenges and solutions embedded within these sites. The artistic works are presented in a co-created theatrical pageant, featuring a spectacular procession of visual art with 21 site performances of dance, theater, music and poetry throughout the gardens, neighborhood and East River Park waterfront on the Lower East Side of New York City on Saturday May 11, 2024.

Ecological City provides an inspiring creative, collaborative and public platform for residents, artists and organizations, in our Lower East Side neighborhood, to address, amplify and build action on local environmental challenges and solutions.

ECOLOGICAL CITY PARTNERS

Earth Celebrations in partnership with – Lungs (Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens), Elizabeth Street Garden, Green Map, Loisaida Inc. Center, Lower East Side Ecology Center, Solar One, Waterfront Alliance, East River Park Coalition, East River Alliance, Goles, University Settlement, The Children’s Workshop School (PS361M), Henry Street Settlement, Boys and Girls Republic, Jacob Riis Cornerstone, Chinese American Arts Council- Gallery 456, East Village Community School, Stuyvesant High School, The Earth School (PS364), East Side Community School, Green Apple Kids, Sixth Street Community Center, White Box, Arts Loisaida, Clemente Center, Lower East Side Girls Club, East Village Community Coalition, Educational Alliance, Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space, Mos Collective, Gaia Institute, Moving for Life/Studio 55C, Global Water Dances, Grace Exhibition Space, FABnyc, SVA-Bio Art Lab, Columbia University (CUNY) Hunter College, and New York University.

ECOLOGICAL CITY SPONSORS 2024

This program is made possible with support from National Endowment for the Arts, Howard Bayne Fund, Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Puffin Foundation, W Trust, Joseph Robert Foundation, Bluestein Family Foundation, Con Edison, Timon Malloy, private foundations, and individuals.


NATURAL PAINT WORKSHOP @ LUNGS Gardens Harvest Arts Festival

Sunday October 8th  @ 1-3pm

@ La Plaza Cultural Garden (9th St. Ave C SW Corner) 

 

 

VOLUNTEER AND SIGN UP

ARTISTS & CLIMATE ACTION 2024 — ARTISTS OPEN CALL

ART & CLIMATE – ECOLOGICAL CITY

Artists | Dancers | Performers | Musicians | Singers | Poets
Present and collaborate with community creating artistic works exploring climate resiliency, water and ecological sustainability. Artistic works are presented in the Ecological City Art & Climate Solutions Pageant celebrating climate solution initiatives throughout the gardens, neighborhood and waterfront on the Lower East Side of New York City.
LEARN MORE – OPEN CALL

ART & CLIMATE SOLUTIONS PANEL DISCUSSION Zoom

Ecological City Planning Meeting

Thursday, November 9, 2024 | Wednesday, February 7, 2024 from 6:30 – 8:00pm on Zoom 

Discuss sustainability and share ideas for visual art, performance, dance, music and poetry exploring local climate challenges and solutions. 

SIGN UP EVENTBRITE (FREE – LIMITED) TO RECEIVE ZOOM LINK


ECOLOGICAL CITY – ART & CLIMATE SOLUTIONS WORKSHOP

Collaborate creating visual art, bio-art, costumes and giant paper-cache puppets, exploring climate solution initiatives for Ecological City: Procession for Climate Solutions.

March 2 – May 10, 2024
Saturdays 12pm – 4pm

Artists-in-Residence
– Puppet workshops with artist Lucrecia Novoa
– Costume/Bio-Arts with Sika Foyer

 

@ Sixth Street Community Center (638 E. 6th St btw. Ave B & C)

 

 

SIGN UP ON EVENTBRITE (Free Limited Tickets)

 SIGN UP PUPPET WORKSHOPS

 SIGN UP COSTUME / BIO ARTS WORKSHOPS

FREE – SIGN UP TO | LEARN MORE – WORKSHOPS

 


BIO ARTS WORKSHOPS

Participants learn to use natural bio materials for sculpture and costumes, growing mycelium (mushrooms root) into a structural bio-degradable material that is grown into molds in various forms. Learn how to make Kombucha (fermented mushroom tea) into a leathery textile that will be integrated into costumes for Ecological City.

SIGN UP COSTUME / BIO ARTS WORKSHOPS
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ecological-city-art-climate-solutions-workshop-costume-bio-arts-tickets-794511755047

FREE – SIGN UP TO REGISTER | LEARN MORE – WORKSHOPS

 


MOBILE MURAL WORKSHOPS

Urban Climate Solutions with Earth Celebrations
Artist-in-Residence Katherine Freygang

April, 2024 (TBC)

Artist Katherine Freygang engages community on a Mobile Mural through workshops in April in collaboration with Earth Celebrations’ partners Lower East Side Ecology Center, Henry Street Settlement (JRC & BGR), University Settlement and Morus. The mural will be featured in the culminating Earth Celebrations’ Ecological City: Procession for Climate Solutions on Saturday, May 11, 2024, featuring spectacular visual art, giant puppets, costumes and 21 site-performances celebrating climate solution initiatives throughout the community gardens and East River Park on the Lower Side.

LEARN MORE- MEMORY MURAL


ART & ECOLOGY YOUTH WORKSHOPS

Earth Celebrations artists collaborate with community partner groups, schools and organizations to create arts projects exploring sustainability and climate solution initiatives. Artworks developed are presented in the culminating Ecological City: Art & Climate Solutions Pageant. To participate or engage your group to join, contact us!

LEARN MORE – ECOLOGICAL CITY


PUBLIC CULTURAL ACTION

Ecological City – Procession for Climate Solutions

Saturday, May 11, 2024 | 11am – 5pm (rain date Sunday, May 12) | Gardens to Waterfront – Lower East Side, NYC

The theatrical pageant, co-created by the Lower East Side community, artists, gardeners and residents, features a spectacular procession of visual art, giant puppet and costumes with 21 site performances exploring climate solution initiatives throughout the community gardens, neighborhood and waterfront on the Lower East Side of New York City.

Become a #ClimateSolution | LEARN MORE – ECOLOGICAL CITY| VOLUNTEER SIGN UP  to wear a spectacular climate solution costume, assist with visuals, puppets and as marshals.

 

 

 

 

 

 


Earth Celebrations’ ECOLOGICAL CITY – Procession for Climate Solutions

SATURDAY MAY 11, 2024 – 11am – 5pm

(rain date Sunday, May 12)

An urban ecological pilgrimage featuring a spectacular procession with 21 sustainability site performances celebrating climate solution initiatives throughout the community gardens, neighborhood, and waterfront on the Lower East Side of New York City.

GARDENS TO WATERFRONT – Lower East Side NYC

visual art – costumes – giant puppets – performance – music – dance – poetry

BECOME A CLIMATE SOLUTION – VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Dance a spectacular climate costume, help with puppets and assist as a marshal.

Free- Limited Tickets

SIGN-UP EVENTBRITE

ROUTE & PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE 2023 (2024 coming soon)

 Route & Performance Schedule Link

The theatrical pageant, co-created by the Lower East Side community, artists, gardeners and residents, features a spectacular procession of visual art, giant puppet and costumes with 21 site performances exploring climate solution initiatives throughout the community gardens, neighborhood and waterfront on the Lower East Side of New York City.

BECOME A CLIMATE SOLUTION    LEARN MORE – ECOLOGICAL CITY | VOLUNTEER SIGN UP  to wear a spectacular climate solution costume, assist with visuals, puppets and as marshals – an unforgettable experience exploring an urban ecological wonderland.

ROLES
– Wear Earth Celebrations’ Spectacular Garden-River-Climate Solution Costumes
– Assist with Puppet & Visuals -Marshal Procession

FULL PROCESSION ROUTE SCHEDULE 2023 – ARTISTS & SITE PERFORMANCE CREDITS

Download:  Volunteer Sign Up Flyer

 Download: Ecological City Flyer

Download: Ecological City Map

 


Ecological City Promo Video


Earth Celebrations’ Ecological City: Art & Climate Solutions Action project applies the arts to build community engagement, collaboration and action on climate challenges and solutions to mitigate impacts of flooding and sea-level rise, decrease waste, improve water quality and conservation, cultivate sustainable urban agriculture and reduce carbon and global warming.

Through Earth Celebrations’ innovative cultural strategies the Lower East Side community of gardeners, residents, artists, youth, schools and diverse sector organizations collaborate, co-creating a theatrical pageant featuring visual art and 21 sustainability site-performances, exploring climate challenges and solutions throughout network of community gardens, neighborhood, and East River waterfront on the Lower East Side of New York City.

9-months of educational research/design/planning sessions and Art & Climate Solution Workshops from March through May engage residents, youth, schools and organizations to collaborate with Earth Celebrations’ artists-in-residence and environmental experts to explore neighborhood sites, learn about their climate solution initiatives including green infrastructure design to mitigate flooding, pollution run-off and reduce carbon and global warming and develop visual art and performance works.

The inspiring neighborhood urban ecosystem of climate solutions includes:

GARDENS – green infrastructure design, sustainable urban agriculture/vertical farming/permaculture, solar gazebos, permeable pathways, water filtration bio-swales, rain/pollinator gardens, water-harvesting ponds, composting/recycling/zero waste zones, and plant and soil carbon sequestration and air filtration and mitigating heat island impact with cooling effects.

NEIGHBORHOOD – community solar projects, art & science school programs, green roofs and rooftop bee farming.

RIVER-WATERFRONT – oyster planting to organically clean the river, bio-remediation projects to add beneficial nutrients to improve water quality, grey-water recycling, community vision for the ESCR (East Side Coastal Resiliency) waterfront redevelopment plan including a rolling hillside seawall berm and wetlands to buffer erosion and sea level rise.

The artistic works created through the months of creative collaboration, partnership building and workshops, are presented in the culminating public cultural action, the Ecological City-Procession for Climate Solutions in May. The theatrical pageant features a procession of spectacular visual art, giant puppets and costumes with 21 site performances of dance, music, theater and poetry, exploring climate challenges and solutions throughout the community gardens, neighborhood and East River Park waterfront.

Collaborative cultural action continues beyond the pageant, with on-going cultural organizing actions and visual/performative works presented at rallies, press conferences, community board meetings and city planning hearings as creative testimony.

Earth Celebrations’ cultural strategies apply the arts to engage, inspire and deepen connection with the nature and urban environment, as well as climate science and practical sustainable solutions. Through the collaborative arts process the community shares their stories of climate challenges, grassroots initiatives and mobilizes action on solutions to mitigate impacts of flooding and sea-level rise, decrease waste, improve water quality and conservation, cultivate sustainable urban agriculture and reduce carbon and global warming. For over 30 years these cultural strategies have effectively built community, collaboration and action that has generated ecological, policy and social change.

For more information on Ecological City – Art & Climate Solutions Workshops March – May – Ecological City Workshops

Ecological City: Cultural & Climate Solutions Action Project

Ecological City- Art & Climate Solutions Workshops
March 1 – May 10  More >

Mobile Mural- Climate Solutions- Collaborative Art Painting Project- More info 

Ecological City- Procession for Climate Solutions
Saturday, May 11 Rain Date May 12  More >

See our Ecological City 2018 slideshow: 


PARTNERS

ADVISORY COMMITTEE / PARTNERS
Earth Celebrations’ directs ECOLOGICAL CITY in partnership with over 50 partner organizations and groups:

ADVISORY COMMITTEE / PARTNERS
Earth Celebrations’ directs ECOLOGICAL CITY in partnership with over 50 partner organizations and groups:

Earth Celebrations in partnership with – Lungs (Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens), Elizabeth Street Garden, Green Map,  Loisaida Inc. Center,  Lower East Side Ecology Center, Solar One, Waterfront Alliance, East River Park Coalition, East River Alliance, Goles, University Settlement, The Children’s Workshop School (PS361M), Henry Street Settlement,  Boys and Girls Republic, Jacob Riis Cornerstone, Chinese American Arts Council- Gallery 456, East Village Community School, Stuyvesant High School, The Earth School (PS364), Green Apple Kids, Sixth Street Community Center, Arts Loisaida, Clemente Center, Lower East Side Girls Club,  East Village Community Coalition, Educational Alliance, Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space, Mos Collective, Gaia Institute, Moving for Life/Studio 55C, Global Water Dances, Grace Exhibition Space, FABnyc, School of VIsual Arts, Columbia University, Earth Matters-NYU, Office of Sustainability-NYU and New York University.

This program is made possible with support from Howard Bayne Fund, Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation, W Trust, Joseph Robert Foundation, Bluestein Family Foundation, private foundations, Con Edison, individuals and with public funds from Creative Engagement, a regrant program supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by LMCC.

Click for ECOLOGICAL CITY PARTNERS

Click for ECOLOGICAL CITY SPONSORS



 

 


EARTH CELEBRATIONS PROGRAMS – CALENDAR – Click here 

ECOLOGICAL CITY PROJECT UPDATES PROGRESS
Follow Earth Celebrations on facebook 

ECOLOGICAL CITY PROJECT PRESS – Click here

 

IN THE PRESS
Earth Celebrations cultural organizing (community-based arts, grassroots coalition efforts and environmental action projects) have been extensively covered by local and international newspapers, TV news, radio, academic journals, books and film documentaries.

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SLIDE-VIDEO: EARTH CELEBRATIONS – 30 Years Art Building Community, Collaboration and Action to Generate Ecological, Policy & Social Change.

 


Interview with Felicia Young, Founder/Executive Director of Earth Celebrations and director of the Ecological City project discusses 30 years of cultural organizing projects to generate ecological and social change.

Read full interview here


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