Redmoon culminates its Summer Park Series - a Night Out in the Parks event
in the historic Humboldt Park with a special reception open to the public to honor Allstate Insurance Company and it collaborators and supporters on September 7th, 2013.
"Allstate is proud to be a part of these amazing Summer Park events, which showcase so many talented young Chicago performance artists who are bringing joy and fabulous entertainment to communities across the city," said Vicky Dinges, vice president of corporate social responsibility at Allstate. "Our company is strongly committed to supporting Chicago's vibrant and diverse cultural arts because they deliver positive, life enriching experiences for our youth and Chicagoans of all ages."
The Humboldt Park event begins with an hour-long free drum and poetry workshop, taught in collaboration with the Bucket Boys and poets from Young Chicago Authors (YCA). Participants are then invited to parade through the park alongside Redmoon's newest machine - the Sonic Boom - a massive, 16 ft. tall transforming mobile boom box conceived by Redmoon's Producing Artistic Director Frank Maugeri. The parade leads into a community celebration that is a mash up of music by DJ LMS, spoken word poetry, drumming, dancing, and a free meal of pizza and fried chicken.
The event will also include a special performance by artists from YCA's Division St. Project, a year-long project grounded in non-fiction creative writing and verse journalism. YCA teaching artist Malcom London and Division St. Project Storyteller Nita Tennyson will share poems inspired by the project, followed by a song by Angie Citali.
As the conclusion of Redmoon's Summer Park Series, the event will include a special reception to honor the series' key supporters and collaborators, including Allstate Insurance Company, the Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation and the Chicago Park District.
"Mayor Rahm Emanuel's Night Out in the Parks initiative looks for ways to engage people in their communities," said Michael P. Kelly, Chicago Park District General Superintendent and CEO. "Redmoon was a great example of this. We witnessed how participatory art transforms parks into spaces for creative and positive activities."
Over 8,500 community members participated in Redmoon's Night Out in the Park events. Under the design and directorial leadership of Maugeri and Artistic Associate Will Bishop, Redmoon and its team of collaborators brought community celebrations to a lineup of 10 public parks on the South and West Sides of the city. This included Sherwood Park in West Englewood, Columbus Park in Austin and Midway Plaisance Park in Hyde Park. "The Sonic Boom [and the Summer Park Series] is re-establishing the parks in Chicago as a center for culture and community," said Kevin Coval, Artistic Director for the Young Chicago Authors.
By sharing a poem over the Sonic Boom's 10,000-watt speaker system, dancing to the music of DJ SuchNSuch - or simply joining their neighbors for a meal -community members from throughout the city joined in this spectacle celebration. "The parade was a great idea... [the kids] who got the opportunity to perform feel like superstars," said Solomon Smith, Meyering Park Supervisor. "They're still talking about it."
The Park Series has been a part of Redmoon's larger summer effort to create unexpected spectacular events and community celebrations throughout Chicago - all outdoors and all for free. Since May, Redmoon has brought its contraptions and performers to 24 free outdoor events - from Evanston's Fourth of July Parade, to Pilsen's Low Rider Festival, Boystown's Market Days, and Homan Square and North Lawndale's Peace March and many more. In total, Redmoon's summer work reached over 55,000 people.
Redmoon invites all to the culminating Humboldt Park event to celebrate this extraordinary summer of free spectacle and community building.
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