Catalyst 2024 Workshops: Artist-Led Sessions

Catalyst 2024 Workshops: Artist-Led Sessions
Friday, July 19, 2024 – Thursday, July 25, 2024
11am – 2pm, 2pm – 5pm (Except for Wednesday, July 24, which will be 2pm – 5pm, 5pm – 8pm)
Optional rehearsal for performance participants on Friday, July 26, 6pm – 8:30pm
FREE (Please note, there is an $8 New York State Parks parking fee) 

Be a part of Catalyst 2024! Join us for rehearsal and be one of the volunteers that bring the performance to life. Click the button below! 

Register Now! 

The workshop techniques will change from day to day as the project takes shape, so feel free to register for multiple times and dates! Registration for each session is limited, but registering for multiple sessions is encouraged.

To register to attend the performance only, click here. 

Join us for a week of FREE artist-led workshops and a unique opportunity to work with this year’s Catalyst artists to create Follies: A Botanical Backstory, a site-specific performance on the grounds of Planting Fields! For the Catalyst 2024 program, we welcome the artists of Processional Arts to come and lead our community in a week of creation and celebration of what makes Planting Fields unique.

Participants of all artistic abilities are invited to register for one or more of these three-hour workshops. During this time, guests will be able to try a variety of artistic methods to create puppets and props that will be used in a culminating performance at Planting Fields on Saturday, July 27. Workshops are geared towards adults and teens, and kids 8 and up working with an adult are welcome. No experience necessary – one will be provided!

The workshop techniques will change from day to day as the project takes shape, so feel free to register for multiple times and dates! Workshops run from July 19 – 25 and will take place twice a day. Registration for each session is limited, but registering for multiple sessions is encouraged.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Emily Leger at eleger@plantingfields.org or 516-922-8704.

Frequently Asked Questions

What will we do during the art workshops?
During the workshops, participants will build puppets and props that will be used in the performance on Saturday, July 27. The workshops run from Friday, July 19 through Thursday, July 25, and will all be slightly different! Artists Alex Kahn and Sophia Michahelles of Processional Arts will show participants how to use techniques such as paper mâché, decoupage, and lightweight sculptural assemblage to create elements of the ambulatory performance.

What will the performance be like?
Guests are invited to participate in a drop-in craft program before the performance on Saturday, July 27. When the procession begins, guests can expect to walk around the grounds at Planting Fields and discover different elements of the performance as they wander. Groups of performers will be stationed in different gardens and areas surrounding Coe Hall. Guests will be able to approach the different assemblages and watch as architectural follies take shape and disassemble before their eyes! See a Processional Arts performance in action here!

Can I participate in the performance?
Of course! We invite anyone who is interested to participate in the performance, no experience needed! There will be a rehearsal on Friday, July 26. Performers can expect to carry props and participate in some coordinated movements and should be comfortable walking on uneven terrain. To learn more, please contact Emily Leger at eleger@plantingfields.org or call 516-922-8704.

I just want to watch the performance; how can I sign up?
Click here! 

What is a “folly” and what is the theme of this performance?
Architectural “follies” of 18th and 19th century landscapes were whimsical structures, ancient temples, miniature castles, and other imaginary ruins built to imbue English country estates with simulated histories. Drawing connections to material cultures, colonial histories, medicinal wisdom, and scientific discoveries, workshop participants will translate the botanical backstories of Planting Fields onto mobile illustrated hothouses and translucent puppets that mysteriously assemble, then drift apart as they move through the gardens in performance.

These botanical follies reflect the deliberate interplay of wild nature and domestic space at Coe Hall while also mirroring the stained-glass windows that lend a Tudor-era glow to the house.

Who are “Processional Arts”?
Processional Arts, led by Alex Kahn and Sophia Michahelles, works with communities to create site-specific, human-powered, art parades, and Carnivalesque happenings. Engaging volunteers at every stage of production, these collaborative works evoke unique local narratives and visual cultures through pageant puppetry, illuminations, ceremonial architecture, and masking/costuming. Since 1998, performances by Processional Arts have led NY’s Village Halloween Parade and appeared at the High Line, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Miami’s Vizcaya Museum, and the Obama White House. Outside of traditional venues, they have engaged communities ranging from the streets of Kyiv to the South Bronx, from the Italian Alps to the Texas bayous.

What is “Catalyst” at Planting Fields?
Every year since 2020, Planting Fields Foundation has commissioned artists to create site-specific art within the 409-acres of Planting Fields. We launched Catalyst to continue the legacy of artistic patronage the Coe family brought to Planting Fields over a century ago by inviting leading artists of their time to create work for the site. Through Catalyst, we challenge and expand our relationships with history as we explore this site from different points of view.

Other things you need to know: 
Accessibility: There are gravel and ADA accessible pathways throughout the site, however elements taking place within garden spaces will take place outdoors uneven terrain. 

Food and Beverages: Please note that Planting Fields Foundation does not supply food or beverages during the workshops or the performance. 

Workshops will take placed at the Education Center located in the historic Laundry Building. 

Please note that the workshops and performances may be recorded to share with future generations. 

About Follies: A Botanical Backstory:
Drawing connections to material cultures, colonial histories, medicinal wisdom, and scientific discoveries, workshop participants will translate these botanical backstories onto mobile illustrated hothouses and translucent puppets that mysteriously assemble, then drift apart as they move through the gardens in performance. Follies invites community makers and audiences alike to dig deeper into the historic and horticultural collections’ buried tales and see Planting Fields through a newly colored glass. Click here for more information on Catalyst 2024 Follies: A Botanical Backstory.