By Naomi Campion
In the Heart of the Beast”'s 5th Year Phillips Project is an immersive puppet and mask theater experience of neighborhood youthfrom Little Earth of United Tribes, Waite House and PPL”'s Collaborative Village Initiative.
The Phillips Project strives for:
Year-round, high quality arts programming that fosters creative expression and extends arts learning while decreasing cultural barriers and increasing relationships of the diverse youth populations and neighborhood long-term partnerships.
Opportunities for dialogue are created; causing appreciation for their diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Each year has culminated in a celebration of these accomplishments in a performance event.
This year”'s Big Puppet Party celebrated participant”'s work and illustrated collaboration amidst diversity. The youth experimented with giant shadow puppets to explore “Stories From Where We Live”.
*The Phillips Project is supported by the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Midtown Phillips Neighborhood Association. More info: www.hobt.org
Reflections
“Loved helping younger children.”
BY SUNDAE PREACELY, PHILLIPS PROJECT YOUTH APPRENTICE
This year”'s Big Puppet Party was a very fun event. I worked with In the Heart of the Beast as a youth apprentice. I loved working with and helping the younger children at my site which was Collaborative Village Initiative (CVI). It was very fun. Even though the kids were very silly, they loved making shadow puppets and always participated. We taught the kids how to make big shadow puppets, small shadow puppets and explore moving with their own shadows. They enjoyed it. For the Big Puppet Party, each of the sites in The Phillips Project- Little Earth, Waite House and CVI, had different performances and showed each other. There were also other apprentices at each Phillips site. So all of the apprentices had to perform at The Big Puppet Party as a group. One thing I loved is at the end we had lots of great foods and a big dance party.
“Adele”'s ”˜Hello”'” performance was a hit!
BY DAIJAH PREACELY, PHILLIPS YOUTH APPRENTICE
I started off as a youth apprentice in the Phillips Project working with In the Heart of the Beast Theatre (HOBT). I worked at a site with my sister which was Collaborative Village Initiative and we worked with HOBT artists and kids. We would teach the kids at our site how to make shadow puppets. It was very fun working with them again this year. I love seeing them dance in their shadow. It looked so beautiful! I think everyone at the Big Puppet Party loved it. My favorite part was when all the staff had wigs on, impersonating Adele”'s “Hello.” The audience really enjoyed it. I really loved all the performances from the Philips Project this year.
Coming Up!
PHILLIPS HISTORY MUSEUM
By HOBT”'s Phillips Project. Hosted at the American Swedish Institute
March 16, 2016 5.30 ”“ 6.30pm Tickets are FREE!
The Phillips History Museum is a playful, interactive art installation exploring the theme of ”˜migration”' in relation to the history of the Phillips neighborhood. Created by artists from HOBT in partnership with neighborhood youth from the United Tribes of Little Earth, Waite House, and the Collaborative Village Initiative.
Naomi Campion is HOBT Communications Manager
