Saturday, June 21, 2008
Whit Bones sits on the ground painting a mask golden-orange. Bones, Tulsa, Okla., senior, is surrounded by members of the Fresh Produce Art Collective, all of them painting, feathering and decorating masks at the DotDotDot Art Space on Haskell Street.
The art collective is preparing for this weekend’s 10,002 Summer Solstice Masquerade, held south of Lawrence. The party, hosted to celebrate the longest day of the year, will include a bonfire, music, and dancing.
Video
See the traditional celebrations of the summer solstice.
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Directions to the festival: Head south on Iowa St., passing 31st Go 3 Miles (Iowa St. becomes US 59) Turn Left at 924 Rd. Go one mile to the end 1366 N 924 Rd.
Bones said there was something ritualistic about dancing around a bonfire and celebrating pre-human roots. But the purpose of the gathering was to give artists a chance to produce art collectively.
“We’re encouraging more musicians to come out, so if people want to share their vision, we’ll share ours,” Bones said.
Bones said the art gallery was the hub of the art collective, and he wanted people to know that it was a friendly little community dedicated to the philosophy that a strong art scene was the result of strong ties between artists.
Aaron Stork stands in front of the 40 foot flames created by last years Summer Solstice bonfire. He said that cutting down branches and making the fire was more labor intensive than he imagined it would be.
“A lot of us are trying out figure out careers as artists,” Bones said. “We decided that dancing around a bonfire with masks would be a good way to celebrate summer and creativity.”
Aaron Storck, 2001 alumnus and art collective member, said the masquerade was also an opportunity to act out alter-egos.
“The whole thing itself is an art experiment,” Storck said about the masquerade. “We’re trying to bring people out and get weird with us.”
Storck said that the main point of the gathering was to bring people together and create art pieces from the experience.
“As an artist you have to keep your mind open,” Storck said. “So to do something that’s colorful, fun, in a natural setting, it gets creative ideas going.”
Charles Ray, art collective member, envisions that in the future things will regress to how they were in the past. He made his mask to reflect that vision, painting it purple, giving it teeth, and substituting an up-raised piece of glass for an eye. He said the mask looked like it came fom an tribal ceremony in Africa.
“There’s a higher vibe when there’s more people,” Ray said about the party.
Tracey Seward, Wichita senior, planned to film the party as part of a film project. She said she was interested in characters and scenes that might not exist in reality.
“Everyone is very responsive to helping another artist,” Seward said.
The masquerade starts at 7:00 p.m. Camping, art supplies, musical instruments, and drinking are encouraged.
- edited by Asher Fusco
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