How can art be playful? Can playfulness be an art?
At the height of the lockdown in March of 2020, Madison began hosting open mics, workshops, events, explorations around art, community, and playfulness. Starting first as a need of her own survival, then continued into a deeper exploration as to how rituals and experiences bring us closer to our own humanity and creativity through play and delight. See below for event details over the last year. And stay tuned for more to come hosted by Madison Mae Parker in collaboration with other artists!
The early pandemic stages of creating together!
Penpal Poets was an ongoing poetry series where folks were assigned partners and mailed poetry letters back and forth to each other. No other things were allowed but the poetry themselves!
“Play Clothes is a lighthearted group ritual and therapeutic space where we will explore ourselves and our relationship with clothing. Clothing affects and reflects nearly every part of the human experience inside of society. The systems and powers that be all have an idea about how we should dress, how we should look. What would we wear if we really believed we could wear what we wanted? How do we move through our lives with clothing in a way that electrifies our spirits? Play Clothes invites you to imagine with us what life would feel like if we use clothes as a tool to help us feel most alive.”
Round 2 of online pandemic creativity.
“Let’s Go on a Creative Walk” is a playful meditation around imagination and exploring. In early pandemic when only our neighborhood walks were possible, how might we imagine our worlds differently? What if we imagined the next block was the Louvre? What would I see differently if I was a giant? How many blue items do I notice?
Responses from “Let’s go on a Creative Walk!”
Screenshot from Play Clothes!, produced and tech managed by Madison Mae Parker and hosted and lead by Rye Lanae Boothe.