Artists at the Caetani Cultural Centre are gearing up for the annual Lantern Festival and parade Oct. 29.
The parade will start at the soon-to-be-opened Hub, adjacent to the Towne Theatre on 30th Avenue, at 6 p.m., and will wind through the streets of downtown, ending at the Caetani Cultural Centre on Pleasant Valley Road.
In preparation for this fund-raising event, Caetani artist-in-residence James Postill is holding lantern-making workshops up to the event.
The workshops take place every Saturday from now to Oct. 29 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
“Materials will be provided, however, anyone wishing to bring along their own items is welcome to do so. And if they’re recycled, all the better,” said Postill, adding, “Everyone is welcome, particularly families. It’s fun for parents to play alongside their children. They’re often surprised by their own innate creativity. And it gives them a break from Saturday morning chores.”
Postill’s studio, an ideal location for lantern making, is made from straw bales covered with clay stucco, over which he has painted a fresco.
“Those attending the workshops might like to collect some of the chestnuts on the grounds at the centre,” said Postill. “They’re perfect for making the old-fashioned toys that Sveva Caetani learned to make when she visited England as a child.”
Those visiting the Caetani Cultural Centre before and during the lantern festival will be able to catch a number of the centre’s artists and residents in action.
Miranda Maxson is trying out different painted faces to wear as a fortune-telling dancing queen, while Devon Mulhert is filling water flutes to see how many mystical sounds children can create with them.
Mulhert’s Tibetan singing bowls are already tuned to the atmosphere that will pervade the grounds at the Caetani Cultural Centre once the lanterns are lit.
Photographer Brent Enridge is busy taking atmospheric photographs, while visual artist David Goodliffe is donning different hats and gowns to become Professor Silly, who will dole out treats from his on-site studio when children knock on his door at the festival.
Metal sculptor Sandra de Vries has made several of her popular tin pumpkin-face lanterns and Christine Pilgrim is honing her storytelling skills.
Ryan Robson and Brent Cariban have some tricks up their sleeves too, as do many of the other artists who live and work at the Caetani centre.
For more information about the workshops and the Lantern Festival and parade, visit www.caetaniculturalcentre.org. Admission to both is by donation, in aid of the centre.
