UPMC Health Plan Family Festival Invites Young Artists to Remake/Retake
PITTSBURGH - Experimental artists of all ages are invited to share in environmentally-friendly, hands-on art-making experiences at the UPMC Health Plan Family Festival, part of the 49th annual Three Rivers Arts Festival. With the theme Remake/Retake, the 2008 Family Festival engages young and old artists alike in creating artistic treasures from discarded materials. Located at Hertz Investment Group Plaza at Gateway Center, the UPMC Health Plan Family Festival is free and open to the public from 12 noon - 7 pm, Friday, June 6 - Sunday, June 22, 2008.
"As part of the biggest free arts event in the city, the UPMC Health Plan Family Festival is the longest, most engaging and most interactive opportunity for informal arts education in Pittsburgh," said Elizabeth Reiss, executive director of Three Rivers Arts Festival. "This year's activities will demonstrate how recycled and reclaimed materials can be used for creative purposes, inspiring children to use everyday materials in fresh, new ways."
Hands-on experiences include:
• A 20-foot sculpture of an endangered praying mantis will welcome visitors to the plaza. Artist Norman Beck will create the sculpture, called My Recycled Prayer, from recycled and reclaimed materials.
• Creative Reuse Pittsburgh will provide mountains of unconventional materials and an opportunity for children and adults alike to create their own art projects to take or wear home, and contribute to large-scale sculptures that will evolve over the course of the Festival.
• The Allegheny County Immunization Coalition presents the winning entries from its 2008 poster contest.
Performances include:
• WQED presents the Queen of Hearts. The Queen will tell some of her favorite stories and provide plenty of opportunities for interaction. As with any good story, there is always an activity to follow!
• panPittsburgh offers 2008 Steelband Showcase, featuring the steel drum talents of area high school youths.
• The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh will be decorating a great big birthday cake to celebrate its 25th birthday. Join the fun from 12 noon - 3 pm on Sunday, June 22, when the Museum will provide oodles of fun materials to decorate a 5-foot-high, very special cake, with cupcakes for all to enjoy. In addition, see the Children's Museum's exhibit Stories of Children, a reflection of real children's lives in Allegheny County featuring photographs by kids and professional photographers every day at the Family Festival.
Ten groups of Greater Pittsburgh youths, ages 6-18, will perform choral and instrumental music, theater and dance on the Community Stage. "From Celtic and classical Indian dance to rock music, Pittsburgh's kids are actively participating in the arts," said Festival Executive Director Elizabeth Reiss. "The new Community Stage at the UPMC Health Plan Family Festival engages the community in supporting children's artistic endeavors."
The performance schedule is as follows:
Saturday, June 7
12:30 pm Seton Center School of Arts - Core Choir: Choral Broadway favorites
5:15 pm Yinz Winds: a classical woodwind trio
Sunday, June 8
12:30 pm Odissi Dance: Classical Indian dance
2 pm WQED presents the Queen of Hearts
5:15 pm Fine Fiddlers of Pittsburgh: Violin ensemble with piano accompaniment
Saturday, June 14
12:30 pm Extreme Strings Orchestra: Folk, blues and rock string ensemble
2 pm panPittsburgh 2008 Steelband Showcase
5:15 pm Pittsburgh DanceXplosion: Eclectic dance performances by children ages 3 and up
Sunday, June 15
12:30 pm Celtic Spirit Highland Dancers of Pittsburgh: Traditional dance from Scotland
2 pm panPittsburgh 2008 Steelband Showcase
Saturday, June 21
2 pm panPittsburgh 2008 Steelband Showcase
5:15 pm East End Kids: Song and dance medley troupe
Sunday, June 22
12:30 pm October Innocence: Female acoustic pop duo
2 pm panPittsburgh 2008 Steelband Showcase
5:15 pm Dreams of Hope: Gay, bisexual, transgendered, and allied youth creative performance group
Calendar Listing
The Three Rivers Arts Festival presents the UPMC Health Plan Family Festival, June 6-22, 2008. Hertz Investment Group Plaza at Gateway Center. Free. For more information, visit www.artsfestival.net.
08 05-12 Family Festival.doc
"As part of the biggest free arts event in the city, the UPMC Health Plan Family Festival is the longest, most engaging and most interactive opportunity for informal arts education in Pittsburgh," said Elizabeth Reiss, executive director of Three Rivers Arts Festival. "This year's activities will demonstrate how recycled and reclaimed materials can be used for creative purposes, inspiring children to use everyday materials in fresh, new ways."
Hands-on experiences include:
• A 20-foot sculpture of an endangered praying mantis will welcome visitors to the plaza. Artist Norman Beck will create the sculpture, called My Recycled Prayer, from recycled and reclaimed materials.
• Creative Reuse Pittsburgh will provide mountains of unconventional materials and an opportunity for children and adults alike to create their own art projects to take or wear home, and contribute to large-scale sculptures that will evolve over the course of the Festival.
• The Allegheny County Immunization Coalition presents the winning entries from its 2008 poster contest.
Performances include:
• WQED presents the Queen of Hearts. The Queen will tell some of her favorite stories and provide plenty of opportunities for interaction. As with any good story, there is always an activity to follow!
• panPittsburgh offers 2008 Steelband Showcase, featuring the steel drum talents of area high school youths.
• The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh will be decorating a great big birthday cake to celebrate its 25th birthday. Join the fun from 12 noon - 3 pm on Sunday, June 22, when the Museum will provide oodles of fun materials to decorate a 5-foot-high, very special cake, with cupcakes for all to enjoy. In addition, see the Children's Museum's exhibit Stories of Children, a reflection of real children's lives in Allegheny County featuring photographs by kids and professional photographers every day at the Family Festival.
Ten groups of Greater Pittsburgh youths, ages 6-18, will perform choral and instrumental music, theater and dance on the Community Stage. "From Celtic and classical Indian dance to rock music, Pittsburgh's kids are actively participating in the arts," said Festival Executive Director Elizabeth Reiss. "The new Community Stage at the UPMC Health Plan Family Festival engages the community in supporting children's artistic endeavors."
The performance schedule is as follows:
Saturday, June 7
12:30 pm Seton Center School of Arts - Core Choir: Choral Broadway favorites
5:15 pm Yinz Winds: a classical woodwind trio
Sunday, June 8
12:30 pm Odissi Dance: Classical Indian dance
2 pm WQED presents the Queen of Hearts
5:15 pm Fine Fiddlers of Pittsburgh: Violin ensemble with piano accompaniment
Saturday, June 14
12:30 pm Extreme Strings Orchestra: Folk, blues and rock string ensemble
2 pm panPittsburgh 2008 Steelband Showcase
5:15 pm Pittsburgh DanceXplosion: Eclectic dance performances by children ages 3 and up
Sunday, June 15
12:30 pm Celtic Spirit Highland Dancers of Pittsburgh: Traditional dance from Scotland
2 pm panPittsburgh 2008 Steelband Showcase
Saturday, June 21
2 pm panPittsburgh 2008 Steelband Showcase
5:15 pm East End Kids: Song and dance medley troupe
Sunday, June 22
12:30 pm October Innocence: Female acoustic pop duo
2 pm panPittsburgh 2008 Steelband Showcase
5:15 pm Dreams of Hope: Gay, bisexual, transgendered, and allied youth creative performance group
Calendar Listing
The Three Rivers Arts Festival presents the UPMC Health Plan Family Festival, June 6-22, 2008. Hertz Investment Group Plaza at Gateway Center. Free. For more information, visit www.artsfestival.net.
08 05-12 Family Festival.doc
