Ebb & Flow’s Kinetic Parade

The Art Movement that Moves

A giant Froggy head? A lamprey team? A dog in a tutu? Or maybe just a fish painted on a stick? It’s up to you. Imagination is the key for this year’s Ebb & Flow River Arts Celebration.

Ebb & Flow is a movement, a parade, a sculpture, and a celebration. Families, artists, environmentalists, outdoor enthusiasts and Santa Cruz festival goers will come together for a two-day celebration of the San Lorenzo River, the Tannery Arts Center, and our wonderful creative community on Friday evening, June 2 and all day Saturday, June 3.

June 2nd, First Friday, begins on Cooper Street next to the Museum of Art and History (MAH) where families and community members will see dance and music performances, enjoy food at the newly opened Abbot Square, and make artworks for the next day’s parade.

At 9 PM, join the River NightWalk with a New Orleans-style music procession including glow sticks, aerial dancers, and sculptures lit up along the San Lorenzo Riverwalk — and a naturalist talk on the secret nightlives of river critters.

On Saturday, June 3 we’ll launch the Kinetic Art Parade at the Kaiser Arena as kinetic sculptures (art that moves) travel the Riverwalk toward the Tannery. Paraders will see more than a dozen new temporary art sculptures along the Riverwalk and on our bridges. You’ll see a giant swallow’s nest, dance performances, massive sculptural fishing poles, windsocks in the shapes of Steelhead and Coho Salmon, river characters to talk to and play with, and hundreds of pottery poppies swaying in the breeze.

The parade ends at the Tannery Arts Center for the River Arts Celebration: dance and music performances from troupes throughout Santa Cruz County, art making for kids of all ages, extraordinary Bay Area performers, food trucks, and the unveiling of a new permanent public art installation created by “Team Downstream”, a collaborative project created by dozens of Tannery artists, led by artist Kathleen Crocetti.

Join the movement now by making kinetic art for the June 3 parade. Ideas for “Kinetic Sculptures” run the gamut—from cardboard fish cutouts mounted onto hand-held sticks to giant peddle-powered floats that seat as many as six people.

Be sure to read the guidelines for entry and registration form at www.artscouncilsc.org/ebb-flow/kinetic-art-parade.

“We invite friends, neighbors, schoolmates, and colleagues to come together to make something fun, wacky, creative – or all of the above!” says Michelle Williams, executive director of Arts Council Santa Cruz County, the organization leading this collaborative arts movement.

A few memorable entries from Ebb & Flow 2015 include: a tricycle with fishing rod mobiles in tow, a bicycle pulling a rolling raft filled with children, a multi-legged eel, a giant amphibious “Big Wheel” creation, and a walking paper mache huge fish head with streamers flowing from its back.

Need inspiration? The Arts Council’s Ebb & Flow web page, artscouncilsc.org/ebb-flow/, has a link with ideas for how to build your own kinetic art.

“Ebb & Flow has helped change the conversation about our river,” says Laurie Egan of the Coastal Watershed Council. “It’s been transformational in connecting artists, river enthusiasts, and community members in conserving and enjoying this beautiful natural corridor that runs through our city. And, it’s fantastically fun!”

Ebb & Flow Art Project partners include the City of Santa Cruz, the Coastal Watershed Council, City of Santa Cruz Arts Commission, City of Santa Cruz Economic Development Department, Tannery Arts Center, First Friday, the Downtown Association, the Museum of Art and History, The Museum of Natural History, Tannery World Dance & Cultural Center, and numerous public agencies.

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Register for the Kinetic Art Parade today! Please visit www.artscouncilsc.org/ebb-flow/kinetic-art-parade.