Wooly Fair: Providence’s Arts Carnival

Monday, July 26, 2010

ARTS by Andy Cutler, Special to GoLocalProv

 

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Here's an idea to beat the summer heat - attend one of Providence's coolest events of the year.

If you haven't been to Wooly Fair, it is a summer-must for anyone interested in art, music, and being part of one of the coolest creative communities in the nation. Wooly Fair, Providence’s own do-it-yourself art carnival, will rear its shaggy head on Saturday, July 31st on the grounds of Monohasset Mill and The Steel Yard in Providence.

A vibrant spectacle

Now in its sixth year, Wooly Fair is a vibrant spectacle that showcases the city’s creative community at its most playful. According to Sam White, Founder of Wooly Productions, "Wooly Fair can be described as a marathon jamboree of creativity.” Wooly Fair was named as one of the of the top ten art events of 2009 by the Providence 10 and has gained the attention of the local media and online community as well as the support of the City of Providence's Department of Art, Culture and Tourism. Attendees have described it as Mardi Gras meets Carnival.

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Wooly Fair features a host of games, amusements, music, food, and interactive art exhibits. Each year, the carnival centers on a theme and the entire event is built from scratch by volunteers. “The Woolies” are Providence-area artists, writers, crafters, poets, designers, engineers, and entrepreneurs— art freaks and geeks. Last year, more than 500 attendees from across Rhode Island and from all over East Coast, from Maine to New York; close to 1,000 attendees are expected to converge on Providence's West Side for Wooly Fair's 2010 extravaganza.

The Flower Tower

This year’s Fair features a host of exciting performers and interactive installations with a Back to Nature theme and the centerpiece of the Fair will be The Flower Tower, a 24’x24’ tiered pyramid that will be staged at The Steel Yard and will host over a hundred container gardens. During the day, each attendee will be invited to plant the Flower Tower with a plant of their choice. Following Wooly Fair, the container gardens will be distributed throughout Rhode Island.

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The lineup of activities and events slated for this year's Wooly Fair include:

 

Musical Performers:
• Headliner: DJ Rupture
• Triangle Forest
• Blevin Blectum
• Viennagram
• Through the Keyhole Burlesque
• Caroline Hecht
• Micah Jackson
• Extraordinary Rendition Marching Band
• Atlantic Thrills
• Raw Lip
• The Get Lively Experiment and Thirsty Sounds
• Sensual Dan

Interactive Art:
• The Flower Tower
• Fearless Mobile Mini Golf
• Marvelous Marvin’s Circus Arts Workshop
• The Natural Selection Love Connection– a dating game
   for all of evolution
• The Churning of the Ocean– an Under-the-Sea experience
• Nesty Tacos– a Back to Nature taco stand
• The Distorted Trip Room– a disorienting naturalization passage
• The Tricycle Rally Championship– now in its third year!
• Thirsty’s Cantina– relax, unwind, with your dirtbag brethren
• The Pastoral Polaroid Parlor– capture your primordial magic
• The Honey Bunny Rangers– our native all-female security force

Wooly Fair, July 31, 2010 from 1 pm to 1 am. Entrance will be at Monohasset Mill, 532 Kinsley Ave, access to the Flower Tower at the Steel Yard will be through the Monohasset Mill fairground. Tickets are $15 each at the door or $12 each through thewooled.com. Kiddos under 12 get in for free. Family-friendly activities, including the planting of The Flower Tower, Fearless Mobile Mini Golf, Marvelous Marvin’s Circus Arts Workshop, and Tricycle Rally, will take place between 1 pm and 8 pm (rain date is August 7, 2010). For more information, go to Wooly Fair's Web site, here.

 

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