Location and Information
Location:
2121 Celebration Dr NE,
Grand Rapids, MI 49525
Wave Room
For more info about Sensory Movies
ACT Drumming /Courtesy of ACT Drumming
Alli Cowden /Courtesy of Robert Coombs
DisArt will be hosting a free Family Fest this Sunday, April 19 with Arts In Motion and Artist Creating Together. The festival well be held at Celebration Cinema North (Beltline and Knapp) in the Wave Room from 3 p.m.-5 p.m. with the sensory screening of the movie Shrek stating at 5:30 p.m.
While all of the DisArt Festival events are family friendly, the Family Fest is an event that is specifically for children, aiming to allow them to experience the arts in a hands-on setting.
"One of our main goals is to bring people with and without disabilities together so that people can start to build those relationships with each other and become more willing to celebrate differences," says Jill Vyn, DisArt Festival Developer.
The event features a center rotation format, providing different stations that allows children to explore different types of art in a controlled environment for a specified amount of time.
The event will include interactive dance and theatrical performances, as well as visual art stations.
After the open house, Celebration Cinema North will be showing a sensory viewing of Shrek. Sensory viewings are shown with house lights dimmed and the volume of the movie is softer than traditional viewings. This can be a more comfortable environment for children who have sensory integration sensitivities. It's a showing where children are expected to move and talk during the film, taking the pressure off the child to be still in a loud dark room.
"From the beginning we wanted to encourage families with kids with disabilities...to come together and encourage them to be part of the festival," says Chris Smit, DisArt Director.
All those involved stressed the importance of art everyday life for all people.
"The arts are important for everybody. It's kind of an equalizer it provides an opportunity for growth and self-esteem," says Delight Lester, Executive Director at Arts in Motion Studio.
The event also aims to be an enriching family activity.
"By providing this type of day we providing the opportunity for siblings to be together, and families to do something together within the arts," says Lester.
The festival will offer pizza and popcorn towards the end of the open house.
The Rapidian, a program of the 501(c)3 nonprofit Community Media Center, relies on the community’s support to help cover the cost of training reporters and publishing content.
We need your help.
If each of our readers and content creators who values this community platform help support its creation and maintenance, The Rapidian can continue to educate and facilitate a conversation around issues for years to come.
Please support The Rapidian and make a contribution today.