Community Puppet Build for Black Lives Matter Movement

COS Community Gaia Puppet Project to display the poetry (art, emotions, energy, and words) of the Black Lives Matter movement in Colorado Springs.

Rocky Mountain Puppetry Guild, Poetry 719, and Concrete Couch are hosting community puppet builds and poetry writing workshops in preparation of a community procession parade for 2021. A large puppet of Gaia, as a black woman is being created as a community project in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Join us in creating poetry to be added to this creation, and in building protest puppets!

Gaia (12ft project) will be largely poetry (in motion) and words.  We need the words of the community especially black women and femme voices. All ages and abilities welcome. Bring your own piece of fabric, artwork, or poem you’d like to add to Gaia’s robes. All builds will be outdoors, and we are asking for all to wear masks and physically distance. Water and bathroom available on site. Fill out survey to submit art and ideas here: bit.ly/2YqHpTf

Giant puppets have a long history in protests, as made famous by the “Bread and Puppet” troop in New York in the 60’s and 70’s. All are welcome who want to help contribute to this mobile art piece for use in marches and protests, to display the poetry of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The concept for the base puppet: GAIA, the Divine Mother, weeping for her lost children. Her mourning robe bears the names of those lost to police violence, of artwork and poetry, carrying the words and pictures of those grieving this loss and calling for protection and change. For the robes, we plan to add pieces of paper and fabric and patchwork quilt the pieces of art and poetry together.

Call for Materials:

• things for drumming! (such as chop sticks, empty kitty litter buckets, coffee cans, etc)
• yard sticks, wooden dowels, bamboo, rods (old broom sticks work) to reinforce protest puppet structures
• fabric (BYOF) and materials for Gaia’s robes

Call for BLM Procession:
We are looking to gather folks for the procession (parade) in August through historically anti-Black neighborhoods of COS (such as the Broadmoor) to help animate Gaia as her entourage. The ensemble includes, but is not limited to:

• drummers / musicians / brass and marching band
• singers / vocalists / choir / chorus
• dancers / vogue and ballroom / breakdance
• jugglers / stilt walkers / street performers
• hair braiders

Ways to participate:

• Come build with us every other Sat. @ Concrete Couch (214 E Vermijo) in August, starting at 6pm. Drop by anytime!
• Drop off  your own piece of fabric (BYOF), paper with your words, thoughts, stories, or quotes to be added to the robes.
• Join the “Gaia Squad” to help organize (via ZOOM and small group in-person meetings) for the puppet build and procession
• Submit a piece of art, poetry, stories or thoughts to the survey here: https://bit.ly/2YqHpTf