International Festival of Arts and Ideas Family Programming
New Haven Green
New Haven, CT
1999-2002
GENEROUS SUPPORT from International Festival of Arts & Ideas
2002 Heart of the Matter : Family Matters
Izzy the Frog
Children of all ages explored the life of frogs from around the world. A variety of world cultures over time offered accompanying stories ranging from biological facts of the life cycle and ecological endangerment of frogs to cultural myths. The cultural myths tell the story of how we, as humans, interact with and are part of the natural world and how each component of the earth is dependent on each other for the health and welfare of the global ecology. Each story ended with the frog's relationship to the environment in which it lives through its response and observation of the sunset. Jamie Burnett, Director of Luminous Environments LCC, recorded a Native America myth that was accompanied by frog/musical sounds by Istvan Peter B'Racz.
Workbooks accompanied the experience for participants and the children had the opportunity to color in varies varieties of frogs discovering the wonderful variety of colors and the ecological stories behind the variations of frogs from around the world. Workbooks include both biological stories of frogs from each country as well as a frog myth from that culture. The children were invited to create their own frog myths about the native frog of the New Haven area. Frogs have represented transformation in many cultures and this will be displayed in a panorama of the life cycle of frogs from pollywogs to adults.
Izzy's tent had a display of frogs and pollywogs, the panorama of the life cycle of frogs from egg to adult, images from various frog myths from around the world, and recorded sounds of a variety of frogs and toads.
Children made frog masks and went away happily croaking.
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2001 Heart of the Matter : Catch the Light
Take a Rainbow Home in Your Pocket
Families explored new ways of seeing the world by exploring the variety of wonders that light reveals through its spectral content, its ability to turn corners by reflection and to bend when passing through another substance. Did you know that by cross polarizing light darkness is created? Light creates it's own darkness…curious! Put on your spectral glasses and see rainbows all around you.
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2000 Heart of the Matter : Geometry in Nature
Elements of Life
Children explored the structural shapes of living cells and made models using drinking straws, which they wore as hats, making the wearer the bearer of the model of life. They charted these forms, where they came from and what their functions are in nature.
Structures designed and build by Architect Buckminster Fuller and Artist Kenneth Snelson were part of the presentation. These examples reveal the inspiration that the science of the natural world have on the inspiration and form of Art and Architecture.
