The Richmond Parks and Recreation Department will once again partner with the city’s arts organizations to present City Life in Glen Miller Park Saturday.
The fourth annual event offers hands-on art activities, live music, a pond fire and live art creations.
“It will be an exciting evening,” said Richmond Art Museum executive director Shaun Dingwerth. “I see it as a great chance for the community to sample what’s available in this community in terms of the arts.”
The event offers a performance by the Richmond Jazz Orchestra, the Richmond Community Orchestra and The Wing Walkers, representing the Richmond Symphony Orchestra. There will also be a drum circle, organized by Earlham College music professor Keith Cozart, that features 30 minutes of games, activities, stories and songs for all ages, based on the sound and rhythm of the hand drum.
Richmond Civic Theatre is also participating and the event’s primary sponsor is the Indiana Arts Commission.
There will also be a performance by Bruderschaft (Brotherhood), featuring a group of professional jazz musicians brought together by Richmond jazz drummer Scott Bartel.
They include jazz trumpeter Marlin McKay, a recent Indiana University graduate who studied under Dr. David Baker, pianist Keith McCutcheon, who is director of the African American Choral Ensemble at Indiana University, bassist Brandon Meeks of Indianapolis and tenor saxophonist Javier Veraga, who has been a mainstay on the Los Angeles jazz scene for over 20 years.
Alisha Estabrook, Richmond parks community recreation coordinator, said there will be painting activities and demonstrations, including the painting of at least one full-size mural.
“People can expect to get a taste of a little bit of everything,” she said. “If they like music and painting and drumming it should be a great evening.”
The event is the brainchild of Mayor Dave Snow before he was elected last November. Snow was the creator, founder and first director of City Life.
“I came up with the concept because I really believe the arts of a community tell the narrative of that community and are essential to the life of the community,” Snow said. “We are lucky to have the arts we have here and this event is designed to break down the barriers and get more people connected to the arts.”
There will also be food available for purchase during the evening.
The schedule includes:
5-5:30 p.m. Arts and music activities with Keith Cozart’s drum circle;
5:30-6 Performance by the Richmond Community Orchestra;
6 p.m. Lighting of the Glen Miller Pond;
6-6:30 Performance by the Richmond Jazz Orchestra;
6:30-7 Performance by The Wing Walkers;
7 p.m. Performance by Bruderschaft
Bill Engle 