Roanoke's Daisy Art Parade will be held on April 15th, UNESCO World Art Day. Local community groups and individuals are invited to create art together, and parade their creations, or other performances through the streets of Roanoke.
What is the Daisy Art Parade?
As of July 1, 2022 Roanoke launched its “Year Of The Artist” initiative which it describes as being “aimed at brainstorming new ways to support creative types, meet community challenges and further integrate the arts into the city’s fabric”. Making art can bring purpose and healing when our lives are stressful. Making art can bring people together, build community and help communities have common purpose with their neighbors. We want to help the citizens of our city to start community art making groups that we call krewes. Brian Counihan is the SE Artist in Residence leading up the parade and weekly workshops. Counihan used to organize the Marginal Arts Festival, and the parade was what Roanokers looked forward to most.
Counihan's entry in the parade is a 14foot Tall Lucy Addison puppet, and a gaggle of her students. However, you do not have to be an artist of Counihan's caliber to participate. In a recent Daisy Art Parade newsletter, the artist encourages everyone to paint your face, dress up wild or just join us for a walk down Campbell Avenue to celebrate all the good things that art can do for a city. You don’t have to be part of a big group, nor do you need to be especially talented. Everyone who participates in the parade will receive a raffle ticket and be entered to win one of several cool prizes. If you do want to go bigger, or try you hand at creating paper mache puppets, we found several videos and articles on Pinterest that can help! Or you can join an upcoming workshop or existing Krewe.
Learn more by watching this informational video:
Form or Join a Krewe!
A Krewe is a diverse group of people who meet and make art to build community- often in a favorite hangout spot like a brewery, church, community center, park, studio space. Like a New Orleans Krewe, these social groups gather together to think about community challenges and celebrations, dream up pageants that would be fun for all and represent their passion and concerns for our city, and then make it happen as a community with the help of our city’s artists and creatives. How do I join a Krewe? You don’t have to be an artist (or even very creative), but you got to want to have fun! You can join as an individual, a family, a group of friends or as an organization. All Krewes should register by April 10th. There is no cut off for individual entries- just show up and get in line on the 15th!
Krewes that have officially joined so far include: Star City Ballet, Southwest Virginia Ballet, Roanoke Trama Informed Community Network, UKESTRA, Magical Mystery Krewe, CommUnity ArtsReach, Art Storm, Roanoke Valley Sister Cities and More!
Learn more about the guidelines and sign up here https://daisyartparade.com/.
Events to Join In This Week!
March 20: Gatewood Rose Botanicals “Bird Mask Decorating Workshop”
March 21: World Puppetry Day at Morningside Urban Farm
March 26: This Saturday, March 26th, is a special workshop with puppeteer Miranda Elliot Rader for a demonstration on how to operate Giant Puppets. Miranda has giant puppets in her blood, as she grew up in a Washington State community that frequently held puppet parades. Miranda has her own puppets company in Charlottesville -Nettle Shirt Puppet Works. Join this or any Daisy Art Parade Workshop with the Artist in Residence, Brian Counihan.
Parade Day Schedule - Saturday, April 15th
Cultural Programming: 8am to 11am in the Claude Moore Education Complex (108 N. Jefferson Street, Roanoke VA, 24016)
Parade Line Up: 11am (on Henry Street outside Dumas Center and Claude Moore Education Complex)
Parade Start: Noon sharp. Over MLK bridge, south on 1st Street, East on Campbell, North on Wall Street.
Post-Parade Raffle & Puppet Show: 1pm 2pm. Art Venture located in the Taubman Museum of Art.
Want to know about float building, giant puppets, pageantry and more?
Sign up for the Daisy art Parade Newsletter and follow for updates on Facebook.
