BRUNSWICK

Arts are Elementary and Spindleworks are pleased to announce that the sixth annual All Species Parade will take place today.

The All Species Parade is a celebration of the diversity of species — or all living things — on Planet Earth. It is a great opportunity to get creative, have fun, come together as a community and revel in the beautiful spring weather. Parade participants are encouraged to dress as or create puppets of their favorite species and they are also welcome to carry puppets from past parades that will be laid out on the Town Mall.

Parade participants will gather at 4 p.m. at the Brunswick Mall to line up for the parade, which begins at 4:30 p.m. Led by the St. John’s Catholic School band, the parade will wend its way down Maine Street, turn right at Bank Street, head up Federal Street, cross over School Street, and end at the gazebo on the Mall. The St. John’s Band will hold a concert at the gazebo directly following the parade. Both the parade and concert are free and open to all.

The first All Species Parade in Brunswick came about as the culmination of Arts Are Elementary’s Second Grade and Primary Pod artist residency in 2009-2010. That year students worked with Spindleworks artists and mentor artists Maureen Block and Catherine Worthington to create giant bird puppets out of painted cloth. They did this work as a part of their science curriculum study of animals. Together, the students and Spindleworkers discussed the inter-relationship of animals and humans within the context of the Gulf of Maine bioregion. They talked about the concept of “species” and what it would mean to have an “All Species Parade” — a celebration of how we all live together. At the culmination of this residency, students and Spindleworkers parades through town with their larger-than-life puppets — and voila, The All Species Parade was born.

In 2013, Spindleworks and Arts Are Elementary again teamed up, this time with a residency for first graders. During this program students and Spindleworkers created Botanical Banners out of brightly colored cloth and discussed the importance of plants, the relationship of plants to other species, and the parts of plants. This residency connected to the first grade science curriculum focus on plants.

Arts Are Elementary is a 35 year-old Brunswick nonprofit that provides free artist residencies to every kindergarten through fifth grade student in town. Residencies are conducted at Coffin Elementary, Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary and St. John’s Catholic School by professional visual artists, writers and performing artists. The subject matter of Arts Are Elementary residencies tie directly to the Brunswick School Department curriculum.

Spindleworks is a nonprofit art center for adults with disabilities and a program of the Independence Association of Brunswick, whose mission is to help children and adults with disabilities achieve full and inclusive lives in their chosen community. Artists in the Spindleworks program come from surrounding communities including Bath, Topsham, Bowdoinham, Portland, Westbrook, Auburn, Lisbon Falls, Richmond and Freeport. Spindleworks artists receive supplies, studio space and guidance as needed.

For more information, contact Kristi Hatrick at 725-1232 or aaedirector@gmail.com or visit http://www.artsareelementary.org.