VISITING INTERNATIONAL PERFORMANCE COMPANIES

Each year, Ordway Center invites artists from across the world to present exceptional performances for child audiences. This year, five extraordinary companies represent five different countries and cultures at the 2006 Flint Hills International Children's Festival. All public performances are June 3 and 4, inside Ordway Center. For more information and to purchase tickets go to ordway.org/festival. Adults are $11-$17, children 17 and under are half price.

Children of Uganda
Tour of Light
Uganda
Through dance and song, their exuberant and powerful program tells the stories and history, the legends and beliefs, of East Africa and promote awareness of the AIDS-related crisis in Uganda.
 

Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia
Leo Lionni: Swimmy, Fredrick, and Inch by Inch
Nova Scotia, Canada
Three of Leo Lionni's best children's books-Swimmy, Inch by Inch, and Fredrick-come to life through the gentle art of puppet theatre storytelling.
 

Big Wooden Horse Theatre Company
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
England
This production is adapted from Mo Willem's award-winning children's book. Find out what happens when the bus driver leaves his bus in this lively children's show that features original music and audience participation.
 

Lille Kartofler Theater
Aschenputtel (Cinderella)
Germany
This one-person play features near life-size puppets in the retelling of the classic fairy tale Cinderella.  Audience members participate in this story that brings the puppets to life!
 

Fawzy Al-Aiedy
Dounya (The World)
Iraqi via Paris, France
Join Fawzy on a musical journey through the Arab world (Dounya) in which he shares the tales, the music, the instruments, and the language of his birth land. During the performance Fawzy teaches a bilingual, English-Arabic song to the audience.

ordway.org/festival/2006

ITALIAN STREET PAINTING FESTIVAL

Imagine: Market Street in Landmark Plaza filled with vibrant works of chalk art created by master artists. At the 2006 Festival, four master madonnari-the term for Italian street painters, as early street painters rendered images of the Madonna-will create four 12' X12' street paintings. Along side them regional artists will paint smaller compositions, and students and families will add their own touches on the community paintings.

Historically, madonnari created images on sidewalks and public squares using colored chalk and lived on donations and small commissions. With the rain, both the painters and the paintings vanish, creating a clean canvas to start again.

Today, madonnari have expanded their subject matter and are no longer confined to the Madonna. Many street painters render more complicated creations that take several days or weeks to complete. Street paintings have become an organized Festival event and an unsanctioned expression in many parts of the world.

Make sure to check out the completed street paintings on the Family Weekend. The madonnari will be working all week on their compositions and will be on hand over the weekend to answer questions and assist you in adding your touch to the community street paintings.

The Italian Street Painting Festival is sponsored by Comcast.

CELEBRATE AT THE FREE WORLD PARTY IN THE PARKS, JUNE 3 and 4, 2006

Attend a performance inside Ordway Center-and make sure you come early or stay late for the free World Party in the Parks.

Rice Park and Landmark Plaza come alive from 10am-5:30pm each day of the Family Weekend, Saturday, June 3rd and Sunday, June 4th with regional artists, arts and cultural organizations, and food vendors during the Festival World Party!

Dance to the music of the World Stage as local bands perform a variety of music. Groove down TARGET Alley — sponsored by TARGET — and watch dancers and musicians representing their cultural heritage through performances. Have lunch in the International Food Court before creating take-home art in the more than twenty-five art-making activity tents hosted by Festival sponsors and education partners.  Explore North American butterflies in the Xcel Energy Butterfly Garden.

Don't miss this year's outdoor art installation: Italian Street Painting Festival. Families create their own chalk art masterpieces on Market Street next to work by professional artists from around the country and the Twin Cities!  The World Party is an event of the Festival that you and your family will not want to miss!

ARTwalk and ARTmoves Parade BRING TOGETHER YOUTH FROM ACROSS THE STATE

ARTwalk
The 2006 ARTwalk is now open! Check out the skyways and storefronts in downtown Saint Paul hung with more than 600 pieces of children's art. It has been a busy week for ARTwalk Curator Aaron Smith, and Assistant Curator Joe Iverson, mounting art from 45 plus schools and organizations. From Saint Paul Travelers windows to the US Bank Center skyway downtown Saint Paul embraces the creativity of children in Minnesota.

Displayed in the Children's Museum are African-inspired drums and shakere's created by students at L'Etoile du Nord through a ArtStart roster artist William Atchouelou. The project is part of the Arts 25 program through the Saint Paul Public Schools. This is just one example of the many great displays.

Stay tuned for the ARTwalk Tour Guide to appear on the Ordway Center website with a map of art locations and a list of all exhibitors.

ARTmoves Parade
The ARTmoves Parade marches on! With bands, bikes, puppets, and even a pack of colorful dogs this year's parade will be a blast! Many community organizations and neighborhood centers are signed up to participate, including Powderhorn Community Center in South Minneapolis, and West 7th Community Center and Hallie Q. Brown/MLK Center in Saint Paul. Artists including Jan Elftmann, Bart Buch, and Nathan Young will work with children and families to create fantastic parade art.

It's not too late to put together your own unit and join in! You can go to the Ordway Center website ordway.org/festival/artmoves.asp, email David Shack, Community Engagement Coordinator, at dshack@ordway.org, or call the Community Engagement Hotline at 651.282.3025. Join in the fun!

WORLD OF ART EVENTS UNITE VISITING INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS WITH TWIN CITIES ARTISTS AND COMMUNITY

The World of Art evening family events during the Flint Hills International Children's Festival offer a chance to interact with local and international artists. The events are free and open to the public, but reservations are required. Each event runs from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. 

• World of Music, Thursday, June 1 (note schedule change)
  Twin Cities musicians come together with international artist Fawzy Al-Aiedy and share their art and explore global rhythms through a music circle. Bring your own instrument and join in as we experiment with improvisation. This event will take place in Rice Park.
• World of Theatre, Thursday, June 1 (note schedule change)
  The United Kingdom's Big Wooden Horse Theatre Company explores the process of taking a popular children's book and transforming it into a play that retains the energy and fun of the text. You'll get the chance to work with the company in translating a story into an animated theatrical performance. This event will take place in Rice Park.
• World of Puppets, Thursday, June 1
  Chris Griffith and Shari Aronson of Circus Minimus Puppetry lead a workshop in the art of puppetry with special guest artists from Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia and Lille Kartofler Theatre from Germany. You will be instructed in the skills of bringing a puppet to life through characterization and movement by trying it yourself with the puppets they provide. This event will take place in the Ordway Center Lobby.
• World of Street Painting, Thursday, June 1.
  Join four master madonnari as they share the rich tradition of Italian Street Painting. Artists will explain their techniques and guide you in creating your own masterpiece. This event will take place on Market Street, next to Landmark Plaza.
• World of Dance, Friday, June 2.
  Join us in celebrating the rich cultural tapestry that makes up the Twin Cities. Youth groups share song, dance, and music in this display of the incredible talent that is right here in our community. International artists including the Children of Uganda, as well as many of the Festival World Stage performers, will participate in the event. The evening concludes with a dance party brought to you by Rumba Productions. This event will take place in TARGET Alley on Washington Street.

The events are free but capacity is limited, so reserve your place by calling the Community Engagement Hotline at 651.282.3025 or classes@ordway.org.

SCHOOL PERFORMANCES HAVE SELECT AVAILABILITY
Join the more than 14,000 students and teachers in attending international performances during the 2006 Festival. Nearly 10,000 tickets have already been sold for the Main Stage act-

Children of Uganda, Tour of Light -and there is still time to book tickets to this company that the New York Times hails as "first-rate" and "inspiring," and other shows.  

Children of Uganda school availability:
Tuesday, May 30, 12:45 PM
Wednesday, May 31, 12:45
Thursday June 1, 12:45
Friday, June 2, 12:45

There is limited group availability (20-30 seats) to other Festival School Week Performances:
Leo Lionni: Swimmy, Fredrick, and Inch by Inch
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
Douyna with Fawzy Al-Aiedy

School tickets are $3-$6, and bussing is subsidized to all schools in the state of Minnesota; up to $150 per bus from within the seven-county metro and up to $450 per bus from Greater Minnesota. Call 651-282-3115 for more information and to order tickets.

LUNCH TIME AT THE FESTIVAL
Why end your Festival experience at the theatre door?  Lunchtime performances and demonstrations in Rice Park add an interactive element to the Festival school days.

Appalachian fiddler Rachel Nelson strolls through the lunchtime crowds while female stilt walkers, Chicks on Sticks dance to the music. Mystik Toyz will entertain with juggling, balloon art, and other circus stunts. Mime artist Mikael Rudolph and accordionist José Curbelo will also be there to entertain.

In nearby Landmark Plaza, four madonnari (or street painters) will be creating large-scale art using the pavement as their canvas.

Students from Webster Magnet and Crossroads Elementary will be close by with artists from Mosaic on a Stick to lead Festival attendees in the creation of a Community Mosaic, and discuss the K-12 public art project they created in school residencies.   

Lunch time is also a great time to check out the ARTwalk-a display of student art in downtown Saint Paul windows and storefronts.

If your school group decides to stay for lunch, be sure to tell us on the yellow information sheet OR send an e-mail to squiala@ordway.org.  

FESTIVAL STUDY GUIDES PROVIDE CONNECTION IN THE CLASSROOMS
To get the most out of your school's Festival experience, use the performance descriptions, vocabulary, activities, and resources offered in the 2006 Festival Study Guide.  More than 700 study guides have already been mailed to schools that have reserved tickets for Festival performances.

You are able to download the guide from Ordway Center's website on the new ‘teacher resources' page in the Education pull-down menu.  Your comments and suggestions are greatly valued, so don't forget to send back your completed evaluation form after the performance!  

Using the study guides at home with your children and family is also a great way to get more in depth information and use the Festival as a learning tool for all.

Click here for the Festival study guide: ordway.org/education/resources/

Festival residencies engage all types of mediums into a celebration of the artistic imagination of young people.   Help us celebrate the vision and skill of students, teachers, and teaching artists by coming to see their amazing work at this year's Festival...

ARTwalk BANNERS
The Festival vision to drape downtown Saint Paul with children's art is taking one step closer to reality this year.  Five large-scale banners will hang from downtown buildings surrounding Rice Park during the Festival and will include artwork inspired by Leo Lionni stories and illustrations. Art specialist Jan Louise Kusske's after school art program at Webster Magnet Elementary created artwork using a painted paper technique. The creative process included writing a literary component and then reflecting it in the visual artwork. Look for these banners to be installed the week before the Festival. ARTwalk Banners are sponsored by 3M.

K-12 PUBLIC ART PROJECT & FESTIVAL SCULPTURE GARDEN
The growing Festival Sculpture Garden has a great addition with the 2006 K-12 Public Art Project-mosaic benches-that will be in Landmark Plaza during the Festival. The sculpture garden now boasts four complete student-created sculptures-a coppers tree (2003), clay masks of literary characters (2004), a copper kiosk (2005), and mosaic benches (2006). Students involved in this year's project, along with Mosaic on a Stick resident artists Lori Green and Maria Ricke-will be on hand to answer questions and lead Festival patrons in the creation of a Community Mosaic. The 2006 Project involves students and educators in two Saint Paul Public School, Webster Magnet and Crossroads Elementary.  K-12 Public Art Project is sponsored by Delta Dental with additional funding by the Minnesota State Arts Board.

ARTbuilds
Inside Ordway Center, creative teams from Twin Cities high schools will be busy making their designs a reality in the first annual ARTbuilds project.  Student teams from Patrick Henry High School, Minneapolis Public Schools, Creative Arts High School and Como Park High School, both Saint Paul Public Schools, are led by resident artist Armando Gutiérrez G. The students were challenged to create architectural pieces from General Mills product containers-Cheerios, Yoplait Yogurt, and Progresso Soup-revolving around the 2006 Festival theme, The World I Create: Celebrating Stories of Hope. The groups will build on-site throughout the school week and have their designs on display for the Festival weekend. Currently the three designs are planned to use more than 15,000 Progresso soup cans, and after the Festival all food will be donated to Second Harvest Heartland food shelf.  ARTbuilds is sponsored by the General Mills Foundation.

DIGITAL KIDS
See the Festival through the eyes of a student this year in the Digital Kids project video.  Students from Webster Magnet and Cityview Performing Arts Magnet will display their final, edited DVD in the box office lobby over the Festival weekend.  The video will include interviews and workshops with local artists, information on Festival touring companies, and interviews with international artists Matthais Kuchta and Children of Uganda company members.  The video will be shot, edited, and created by student teams at each school who are working under the direction of media artist Usry Alleyne.  Digital Kids is sponsored by the Best Buy Children's Foundation.

Last year volunteers filled more than 500 shifts totaling more than 3,631 hours worked during the six days of the festival!  Your involvement as a volunteer is vital to the success of the Festival and we invite you to fill one of the still-available shifts on Saturday, June 3 and Sunday, June 4.

Tangible benefits of volunteering include an all-access pass to see ticketed performances when seats are available, free Festival t-shirt, and access to the artist and volunteer hospitality tent.

Register today! Contact the Festival Assistant at jduncan@ordway.org or 651-282-3035 for more information.   

Education at Ordway Center is sponsored by 3M. Additional major funding is provided by Ordway Circle of Stars, The Fred C. and Katherine B. Andersen Foundation, General Mills Foundation, hundreds of individuals, foundations, corporate contributors, and by the patronage of thousands of theatre attendees.

To be added or removed from this newsletter distribution, please reply to education.news@ordway.org.