Artpark has been developing new and adapted programs that will bring the community both relief and inspiration this summer.
We can't wait to welcome you to Summer at Artpark!
Dear Artpark family, 
At all times Artpark offers its natural beauty and inspiration to artists and visitors. While the large-scale gatherings will not be safe or possible this season*, we are focusing on all that Artpark can and should deliver to you and to our artistic community.
Looking at this new emerging season, I see an Artpark that serves its community through the healing and uniting power of the arts and nature. An Artpark that serves its mission to nurture artistic talent. An Artpark that provides invaluable service to our audiences through experiences in the park that make us stronger. 
Join us this summer again for a different kind of walk in the park.
-Sonia Kozlova Clark , Executive Director of Artpark & Company
Artpark is committed to practicing social distancing and all COVID-19 related precautions to keep visitors safe at all times.
*If you have not received an email notification about your cancelled or postponed concert this season, please contact [email protected] . Please see updates on all cancelled and postponed events at artpark.net
The Art of Walking
Created through an international collaboration of NY-based theatre and visual artist Carin Jean White  & Catalan artists  Itsaso Iribarren & German de la Riva .
June 27-August 29 
Saturdays 4pm & 6:30pm | Sundays 4pm

Much more than a traditional walking tour, participants will explore the nature, poetry and story of Artpark in an engaging and surprising way.
S mall walking groups of up to 10   will be led by two performance artists, weaving a moving meditation combining walking, stillness, listening and cheerful interaction.

Pre-registration is required . Optional picnic basket upgrade available. For more information on registration, schedule and distancing procedures/safety protocols,  please click here .

Art of Walking is supported by Niagara Falls National Heritage Area, M&T Bank, and Cullen Foundation.
Parking Lot Mural Project
June-August

Rob Lynch & Matt SaGurney (The Solo Roths) have been selected as Lead Artists on  Artpark’s Parking Lot Mural Project , who will collaborate with  Artpark Bridges  Program participants. Together, they will transform the largest Artpark parking lot (nearest to South 4th Street) into a large canvas of color that gives voice to the underserved members of our community and expresses shared humanity.
Project development and workshops with organizations like People Inc., Artisan’s Edge and Parkinson’s Community will be conducted throughout the summer, with parking lot painting currently slated to take place over the course of late June through August.

The Parking Lot Mural Project is supported by Charles D. and Mary A. Bauer Foundation, Pamela & Joseph Priest, Jeffrey Williams/Apartments Niagara. 
Artist Residency: Taylor Mac
June 8-12

Artpark welcomes Taylor Mac , a widely-recognized playwright, actor, singer-songwriter, performance artist, director, producer and a MacArthur Genius award recipient.

Taylor Mac and his music director, Matt Ray will take part in an Artist Residency toward a new work commission by Artpark.
Described by  New York Magazine  as “a critical darling of the New York scene”, Taylor Mac's work has been performed at New York City’s Lincoln Center, The Public Theatre and Playwrights Horizons, London’s Hackney Empire, Los Angeles’s Royce Hall, Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre, the Sydney Opera House, Stockholm’s Sodra Theatre, the Spoleto Festival, MOMA, and literally hundreds of other theaters, museums, music halls, opera houses, cabarets, and festivals around the globe. 

Taylor and his band will return to Artpark in 2021 for a public performance and a meet-the-artist talk. 

Taylor Mac residency is supported by Duncan Smith & Kathleen Hallberg.
The Holladay Brothers
The Holladay Brothers compose music and map it to a physical space using GPS -- a concept referred to as “Location-Aware Music.” Upon downloading a free app, visitors may use their mobile device to dynamically experience the music and hear how it transforms as they traverse through the park. Their first production, “The National Mall,” a location-aware album mapped to the eponymous park in Washington, DC, was described by the Washington Post as “magical…like using GPS to navigate a dream.”

The Holladay Brothers are now actively working to develop the site-reactive musical app exclusive to Artpark to be finalized in 2021. Watch for the launch of the test run of the app this summer to be announced soon.
Watch Ryan Holladay's TED Talk about "Location-Aware Music":
Strawberry Moon Festival
August 1
An adapted version of the Festival will feature a special program by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by JoAnn Falletta in collaboration with the Jon Lehrer Dance Company and Kakekalanicks Indigenous Consultancy . The program will celebrate the legacy and indigenous cultures of Niagara Falls on the famed Niagara 1979 site (aka the Painted Parking Lot) following social distancing guidelines. More to be announced!

The project is funded by the Regional Economic Development Council / New York State Council on the Arts, M&T Bank and Cullen Foundation. The Seneca-Iroquois Museum will sponsor Native-American themed activities that will take place during the event.
Alarm Will Sound performs
"Ten Thousand Birds"
August 9
 Described by  The New York Times  as “...one of the most vital and original ensembles on the American Music scene,”  Alarm Will Sound  will present  John Luther Adams ’ “Ten Thousand Birds” as part of Artpark’s Music in the Woods series to be announced shortly.

The piece is based on the songs of birds that are native to, or migrate through the area in which the piece is performed. It explores the connections between nature and music, a topic that Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award-winner John Luther Adams has pursued over the course of his remarkable career and is a common theme in Artpark’s programming.
The performance and Music in the Woods series is funded by New York State Council on the Arts, Thomas Burrows and HSBC Bank.
We've designed this performance so that the musicians and audience can move around each other, always at a safe distance, listening from changing perspectives while surrounded by the music. 
“ One of my greatest hopes for my music is that it may be of use. So I'm thrilled that Alan and the musicians of Alarm Will Sound have found such a creative use for Ten Thousand Birds. At this difficult moment, it's more important than ever for us to remember our connections with the larger-than-human world, and to celebrate the never-ending music of this miraculous planet that is our one and only home ” said John Luther Adams about this upcoming performance.
Fairy House Festival & New Park Gardens

The Fairy House Festival on August 15th will be modified to include contact-free activities and a walk-through tour of artist-created fairy houses, winding through the Artpark woods. Call for artists coming soon! The 10th annual Fairy House Festival is supported by Cullen Foundation.
A Native American Peace Garden will share the deep-rooted beauty of Native American culture and heritage through traditional stories and songs while cultivating Native American plants and medicines. A variety of teaching sessions for all ages, including drum, dance, storytelling, art, beading, and more are being planned within the Garden setting, all to the extent safety guidelines permit.
Garden funded by Mary E. Knotts
A new Mary E. Garden with an installation entitled, “Bell Tower” by composer and sound artist William Close will be completed this summer in the park.

This is the second installation by William Close at Artpark after “Gong Temple” currently installed in Artpark Percussion Garden, and a continuation of Artpark’s relationship with the artist following his live performances at Artpark in 2017 and 2018 with Earth Harp Collective.
Artpark and all above listed programs are complying with current COVID-19 safety guidelines, required by the Federal and the New York State authorities. We will ask our visitors to exercise social distancing practice, wear masks, use cleaning stations available throughout the park and follow Artpark attendance guidance during the programs. Earl W. Brydges Artpark State Park and its trails, public art and fishing spots are free and open daily from dawn until dusk. 
Artpark's 2020 Season is Supported By: