2016 Green Box Arts Festival

WORLD-RENOWNED ARTIST, ACCLAIMED COMPOSER AND CELEBRATED DANCE COMPANIES TO HEADLINE 2016 GREEN BOX ARTS FESTIVAL

Outdoor Art Installation Accompanied by Robust Festival Lineup Including Performances from New York’s KEIGWIN + COMPANY, Composer Adam Crystal, the Oklahoma City Ballet & More

GREEN MOUNTAIN FALLS, COLO. – On the heels of exhibiting the celebrated Back to Kansas installation by Spencer Finch and musical art installation 10 Swings by Canadian design firm Daily tous le jour, the 2016 Green Box Arts Festival, held June 26 through July 4, will play host to extraordinary art and artists with concerts, performances, classes and more. Among the many Festival highlights, attendees will enjoy the outdoor whimsical craftsmanship of world-renowned installation artist Patrick Dougherty, as well as performances by the Oklahoma City Ballet and New York’s KEIGWIN + COMPANY, in collaboration with Emmy-nominated and composer-in-residence, Adam Crystal, creator of the original ballet score for the Golden Globe-nominated Flesh and Bone TV Miniseries.

This year at Green Box Arts Festival, the celebrated Patrick Dougherty will bring his twisting, curling branch sculpture work to the town of Green Mountain Falls.  Over the last thirty years, Dougherty has gained international acclaim for constructing over 250 works of monumental scale, environmental creations which require saplings by the truckloads. His sculptures have been seen worldwide – from Scotland to Japan to Brussels, and all over the United States. Harvesting of materials will be supported by local volunteers and aid in a conservation effort in partnership with Colorado Springs Utilities.

Festival-goers will enjoy new works created and performed during the Festival by the Oklahoma City Ballet and New York’s KEIGWIN + COMPANY. Boasting 36 dancers from around the world, the Oklahoma City Ballet inspires audiences through classical and contemporary dance from the industry’s top choreographers with performances in Oklahoma City. Colorado Springs’ audiences know them for their annual collaboration with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic for The Nutcracker.

Under the direction of Green Box Arts Festival Co-Founder Larry Keigwin, KEIGWIN + COMPANY is celebrating its 10th year with the Festival. Keigwin and Associate Director Nicole Wolcott will build a new dance in collaboration with composer-in-residence Adam Crystal, whose versatile work spans film, documentaries, modern dance, ballet, art installations, videos, commercials and fashion shows. His work also includes previous dance and musical collaborations with KEIGWIN + COMPANY, such as Balloon Dance, performed at the Guggenheim, and more recently Rush Hour, performed at Lincoln Center.  Additional musical ensemble performances, such as the Colorado Vocal Arts Ensemble and The Hennessey 6, will be curated by Manitou Springs native and musician David Siegel, Executive Director of the Bee Vradenburg Foundation, and are sure to delight patrons under the mountainous summer night skies.

2016 Green Box Arts Festival Highlights
The 2016 Green Box Arts Festival features a variety of activities, exhibits and classes. In addition to performances and concerts, offerings include a guided public art walk, youth and adult classes, nature walks, bingo, square dancing and ArtDesk Conversations spanning topics of installation art, animal welfare, music, dance and government. The full schedule of events will be posted online May 23 at www.greenboxarts.org and on the Green Box Arts Facebook page, facebook.com/greenbox.arts. Most events are free to the public. Online registration is required for many classes and events. A video from last year’s festival can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/159661964.

History of Green Box Arts Festival
The Green Box Arts Festival was founded in 2009, and is held in Green Mountain Falls each summer. The Festival’s goal is to provide artists and visitors an opportunity to nurture the creative process, and explore new artistic directions in the picturesque small town setting. A selection of past participants includes a musical art installation 10 Swings by Canadian design firm Daily tous les jours, the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony, Kyle Dillingham and Horseshoe Road, folk band Haunted Wind Chimes, sculptors Ben Roth and Jason Hackenworth, performances by the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company, and American author and Pulitzer Prize nominee Blake Bailey. Additionally, artwork from installation artist Tomás Saraceno, Spencer Finch, sculptor Olafur Eliasson and contemporary sculptor and photographer Kenneth Snelson have been showcased.

The festival’s foundation was laid in 2006 when Christian Keesee, whose family history with the Pikes Peak area dates back to the 1900s, sponsored an artist-in-residency program with New York-based Larry Keigwin and KEIGWIN + COMPANY. An interest in diversifying and expanding activities quickly grew in the community, which culminated in the formation of the Green Box Arts Festival. Since that time, Keesee and Keigwin have continued their collaboration by forming a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, Green Box Arts Project, with a mission to bring dance, installation art, music, and art classes to Green Mountain Falls each summer. Partnerships with the Town of Green Mountain Falls, Church in the Wildwood, and Ormao Dance Company make the full range of activities possible.

Green Mountain Falls Access and Area Attractions
At an altitude of 7,800 ft., picturesque Green Mountain Falls is home to various festivals and events year-round. Most notably, however, it is known for the nationally-acclaimed Green Box Arts Festival. Surrounded by Pikes Peak National Forest on three sides, the town is located near popular area attractions including the famous Cave of the Winds, the Cliff Dwellings Museum, Garden of the Gods, Pike’s Peak and the COG railroad. An extremely popular hiking destination, visitors also enjoy fishing, swimming, biking, tennis courts, and ice skating in winter, as well as the town’s unique restaurants, pubs, and shops.

Green Mountain Falls is located just 30 minutes from the Colorado Springs Airport, while Denver International Airport, offering direct flights from most major markets, is located 100 miles away, or a little more than an hour’s drive. Green Mountain Falls is just minutes from the towns of Woodland Park, Chipita Park, Manitou Springs and Cascade.