80-plus Performances, Events, Classes and Camps on deck
Green Box is thrilled to announce their 15th Annual Green Box Arts Festival, set for June 30 – July 15.
Celebrating 15 years of providing exemplary visual and performing arts experiences, Green Box this summer has masterfully curated more than 80 performances, events, and classes for residents and visitors for the community of Green Mountain Falls.
“It is crystal clear that our 15th Annual Green Box Arts Festival will afford artists and audiences an unparalleled menu of arts events and activities,” says Scott RC Levy, Green Box’s Executive Director, “We can’t wait to welcome new and returning audiences to Green Mountain Falls this summer, as we celebrate the best of contemporary arts with our largest and most comprehensive festival to date.”
The following are some of the highlights of the two-week festival, one of the prime events in the Ute Pass region this summer.
DANCE
New York’s critically-acclaimed Paul Taylor Dance Company, one of the most iconic and dynamic modern dance ensembles of our time, will be in residence for two weeks this summer and will present multiple public performances, as well as participate in an ArtDesk Conversation, and offer a masterclass.
With a history of transforming the art form of modern dance, Paul Taylor Dance Company is known worldwide for its vast repertory, multidisciplinary collaborations, passionate expression, thrilling athleticism, and new works created by some of today’s most engaging and established choreographers. Dedicated to sharing modern dance with the broadest possible audience, since 1954 the Company has toured over 600 cities in 65 countries with performances and a variety of educational programs and engagement offerings.
“I am thrilled our Company will be performing at the 15th Annual Green Box Arts Festival – it will be our first visit to the area, but not our first collaboration with Festival Co-Founder and Taylor Commissioned Choreographer Larry Keigwin, who created the exhilarating work Rush Hour in 2016 we recently performed during our Season at Lincoln Center,” said Michael Novak, artistic director – Paul Taylor Dance Company. “We are looking forward to our time in Green Mountain Falls during our two-week residency. I have no doubt that the combination of the gorgeous location and the amazing participating artists will be inspirational and energizing for us all.”
VISUAL ARTS
On the festival’s opening day, set for Friday, June 30, three installations will be unveiled by Artists-in-Residence, Brooke Smiley, Nikki Pike and Molly Rideout, as well as a sculpture by artist Brian Wall and a new mural on the Lake Street Display by Brenda Biondo.
Smiley will develop an EARTH.SPEAKS work, part of her series of land-based public art projects aimed at healing through community creation of earth markers, which is a sustainable practice of structure building. Created with, for, and by the community of Green Mountain Falls, EARTH.SPEAKS centers on Indigenous identity through reconnecting with our bodies, one another, and the land. Smiley will guide the community in building two earth markers, to uplift awareness of Indigenous history, present-day visibility, and messages of the land.
Pike, an artist and activist, will add an outdoor sculptural work, utilizing bark-skinned forms, to Green Box’s permanent public art collection, which will be on view at the H.B. Wallace Reserve. Pike’s environmental works combine eye-catching bark texture with pure forms, playfully inviting the viewer to consider the impact of human manipulation of the environment. Currently on display at Lakeview Terrace Theater, The Managers, by writer-in-residence Molly Rideout, displays the documentation of the women who ran the historic building originally built in 1890 as a boarding house.
Brian Wall’s massive sculpture, Skye, will become the second work donated to the organization in back-to-back years, following last year’s installation of Communication X9 by Yaacov Agam. Wall’s one-of-a-kind constructed welded steel sculptures combine geometric elements, often created from sliced sections of industrial steel tubes or I-beams and range from tabletop scale to monumental outdoor installations.
From May – September, sunrise, sunset, and closed roof shows will occur at the Green Mountain Falls Skyspace by legendary light and space artist James Turrell. Tickets are available for these shows are available by visiting greenboxarts.org.
PERFORMING ARTS
In collaboration with the University of Colorado Springs, the Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance and Practice (SICPP) will perform music by composer-in-residence Marti Epstein on the opening night of the Festival.
The 4th of July Block Party will feature a Western Swing Dance Class prior to with a performance by Carlos Washington’s Steel Horse Swing, followed by singer-songwriter Lilli Lewis, who will take the stage with her acclaimed trio, and the second-annual Water Lantern Festival. Be sure to visit Becoming//Poetry for a personalized, spontaneous poetry experience on vintage typewriters!
More opportunities include a performance by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, a five-piece chamber ensemble who will play a live original score to a silent Buster Keaton film, and an evening of films created by the nationally-renowned and Colorado Springs-based, Youth Documentary Academy. Theatreworks is back again offering two FREE outdoor performances of Shakespeare’s classic, Pericles.
Additional musical performances include the Delbert Anderson Trio, Colorado Springs Youth Symphony and the dynamic duo of Larry & Joe. The closing event and final Block Party on July 15 will feature food trucks and a concert featuring the homey Ozark sounds of Handmade Moments.
EVENTS
More fan-favorites return this year including Astronomy & S’mores, the 4th of July Water Lantern Festival and our always popular ArtDesk Conversations – this year featuring conversations with festival artists, animal activists, and a book club discussion. Grab your pup and join us for the 3rd annual ArtDesk Pooch Parade, and Theatreworks is back again offering two FREE outdoor performances of Shakespeare’s classic, Pericles.
CLASSES & CAMPS
The Green Box Arts Camp will be held June 20 – 30 (Tuesdays – Fridays) for rising 1st – 5th graders. This process-based arts camp invites children to explore dance, visual arts, music, and theatre with seasoned working artists and educators. Professional dancers from Ormao Dance Company along with an experienced group of visual and performing arts teaching artists will lead the work, and the world-renowned Paul Taylor Dance Company will hold a performance exclusively for campers and their families. All camps take place throughout the Green Box campus as we adventure to streams, hike up to see Green Mountain Falls Skyspace, and have daily mindfulness and circle time on the lawn.
This summer Green Box partners with Theatreworks to bring Clowning Around with Shakespeare, scheduled from June 13 – 23 to rising 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. Led in the beautiful outdoors by celebrated professional Shakespearean actor and teacher Sammie Joe Kinnett, only a love for performance, Shakespeare and laughter is required! Students will explore the language and comedy of Shakespeare ,create original pieces based in the language of the bard, and share some of their favorite skits and giggles on their final day in the forest.
Adult opportunities this summer include new Plein Air Painting and Photography classes, along with the return of Silversmithing, Visible Mending, mixed media collage, and wine tasting classes.
HEALTH & WELLNESS
This summer, Green Box will incorporate a new health and wellness track to our schedule, including workouts at the Keith Haring Fitness Court, daily hikes led by Friends of the Ute Pass Trails, daily yoga sessions with festival favorite Andrea Lodico. Additionally, attendees will be offered experiences with the multi-instrumental healing sounds of Judith Piazza inside Green Mountain Falls Skyspace. This music therapist and sound healer will have attendees exploring Indigenous sound wisdoms from across the world, as they are bathed in closed-roof light sequences and higher vibrations.
You can also experience Green Box on your own this summer!
Daily Skyspace Experiences: During the festival, participants can sign up for one of our daily sunrise, sunset or closed roof shows in Green Mountain Falls Skyspace by contemporary art and space artist James Turrell. Visit Skyspace/Green Box Arts for tickets and more information.
Audio Walking Tour: The Art & History of Green Mountain Falls: Created by Green Box Artist-in-Residence Jessica Kahkoska, this educational walkabout explores the art installations throughout town and the history of this beautiful place. Information on accessing the tour is available at the Green Box Office and greenboxarts.org.
Lantern Making & Art-O-Mat! Join us at the Green Box Workshop throughout the festival to design your own water lantern and purchase unique artwork from our Art-O-Mat machine!
Visit greenboxarts.org. for more information, to register for camps and classes, and to purchase performance tickets. While some events are free all require registration. Performance tickets and event registration is now available to the public.
Green Box was launched in 2009 in Green Mountain Falls, Colorado and has grown into a year-round incubator of multidisciplinary visual and performing arts. The organization provides residents and visitors from Colorado and around the world the opportunity to participate in the creative arts in the natural beauty that awaits at the foothills of Pikes Peak. Anchored by an annual summer arts festival, Green Box also engages with community year-round through an active Artist-in-Residence program, arts education, and public art installations.
Green Mountain Falls and Ute Pass –At an altitude of 7,800 ft., Green Mountain Falls is home to various festivals and events year-round. Most notably, however, it is known for the nationally-acclaimed Green Box Arts Festival. Surrounded by the Pike National Forest, the town is located near popular area attractions including the Cave of the Winds, Manitou Cliff Dwellings, Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak and the Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway. An extremely popular hiking destination, visitors also enjoy fishing, swimming, biking, tennis courts and ice skating in winter, as well as the town’s unique restaurants, pubs and shops. The town is just 20 minutes away from the center of Colorado Springs, and closer to Manitou Springs, Woodland Park and other Ute Pass communities such as Cascade and Chipita Park.
