Monday July 11th - Mysterious Rabbit Puppet Army’s Prison Industrial Complex Shadow Puppet Show performed at Spiral Q

What: The Mysterious Rabbit Puppet Army

Where: Spiral Q Puppet Theater, 3114 Spring Garden St.
When: Monday July 11th, at 7:00PM
How much: $5 donation at the door

The Mysterious Rabbit Puppet Army rolls into town on Monday, July 11th as part of its whirlwind, month-long excursion across the continental United States to raise awareness about the prison system. The tour stop will include a few different shows. The feature show uses shadow puppets to outline the history of the Prison Industrial Complex, from chattel slavery in the south to where it is today. The other show is a modernized Hansel and Gretel. All of the shows are child friendly.

The tour will raise awareness about the Prison Industrial Complex and the ways in which police and policing hurt our communities.

"Our goal in this tour is to use art to explore these relationships and brainstorm with our audiences how we can fight this brutally racist system." said Mysterious Puppeteer Michael Snacks.

The United States currently imprisons nearly 3 million people. About 6.5 million people are presently under some form of supervision within the criminal justice system. Racism continues to be a major factor in the United States, illustrated by policies and programs that sustain white supremacy. Racism, as it is used through criminal laws that target people of color, is essential to prisons, not accidental. The Prison Industrial Complex is also fueled by dramatic and racist reporting about "crime," "delinquency," and "rebellion," creating a culture of fear. As a result, people (primarily people of color, youth, and the poor) are locked in cages for longer and longer in the interests of "public safety." The way the many parts of the Prison Industrial Complex interact is exactly what makes it so powerful and destructive. In order to fight this system, we have to recognize what drives and shapes it.

The tour is being co-sponsored by the Chapel Hill Prison Books Collective, a part of the books to prisoners network.
Click here For more information on the Mysterious Rabbit Puppet Army.

Spiral Q Open House-May 31, 2011 6-8PM

February 2011-A Special Valentine's Day Treat from Spiral Q

Time for fun, time for play.
Support the Q in a loving way.
Send a heart or send a kiss,
And Spiral Q will get a lift...

Help spread the love this February by donating to Spiral Q! To show how much we love you, we’ll send a Valentine to your loved one, a family member, your best friend, an archenemy, or that Q-tie you’ve got your eye on! Your support will make sure that we can continue to provide crucial services to Philadelphia’s children and communities in this especially difficult year, including violence reduction projects at Bache-Martin School and South Philadelphia High School, and a community parade at Norris Square.

For every $10 you donate, we’ll send a handmade, screenprinted Valentine to the recipient of your choice—or, if you wish to personalize your Valentines and deliver them yourself, we can send them directly to you. The first printing of Valentines will be sent out on Wednesday, February 2. After Wednesday, each Valentine will be sent within one business day of the receipt of your donation, so donate now to get them in time for Valentine’s Day!

October 2010-Thank YOU for making Peoplehood a success

Spiral Q’s Peoplehood Parade and Pageant Makes for Good Community

The Giant Puppet Extravaganza Brings Neighbors Together,
Highlights Power Of Spiral Q’s Mission

This summer, Spiral Q board and staff members reworked the organization’s mission, shifting from “Illuminating the victories, frustrations and concerns of communities…” to its more participatory and active, “Spiral Q Puppet Theater builds strong and equitable communities characterized by creativity, joy, can-do attitudes, and the courage to act on their convictions.” Peoplehood is one of the events and mechanisms through which Spiral Q pursues its mission.

This Saturday, for the 11th consecutive year, Spiral Q’s Peoplehood Parade and Pageant helped bring neighbors together to celebrate and learn from one another while participating in the pursuit of Spiral Q’s mission. 30 diverse community groups participated in the story-telling, art making, parading and performing process that Peoplehood creates. It’s the range and depth of community supported by Peoplehood that has made it such a cherished event by neighbors. When a group of 17 senior citizens joined the culminating giant puppet parade in wheel chairs decorated with glittery hearts, scores of teens spontaneously and continuously chanted, “L-O-V-E! That’s the way it ought to be!” down the streets of West Philadelphia. Neighbors and participants were equally touched.

Lena Buford, whose group from Mariposa Food Co-Op marched in the parade said, “About 6 years ago back in 2004 I was wandering through West Philly on an October day deciding if I wanted to live there. It just so happened that it was the day of the Peoplehood parade, and I thought – if this is West Philly, then West Philly is for me. I have lived here ever since. Spiral Q’s work and the Peoplehood Parade in particular are huge assets to the community and really reflect some of the things I love about kooky, creative, grassroots, caring West Philly.”

Anne Margrethe, who leads the Art Therapy Unit at Girard Medical Center, a residential, substance abuse and recovery center, said, “It’s one of the most fantastic experiences that our clients have. It’s a powerful day. The beauty of it, the sheer colors and creativity that we all experience is profound. Everyone is so welcoming here. It makes people feel really valued and important in society. It’s certainly one of the highlights of our year.”

West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance president and Paul Robeson House CEO, Fran Aulston, had this to say about Spiral Q and Peoplehood: “It’s like a family reunion and people from all over the city come here. It helps us support our mission; To create community and create arts and opportunity for those from West Philadelphia and beyond. We get to share experiences and we all become advocates for one another and the arts. Thank you, Spiral Q, for your energy and passion and integrity in serving your mission! I love you.”

The following groups participated in this year’s Peoplehood: The Paul Robeson House, The Peoplehood Band, Build On, Girard Medical Center, The Factorye, W. Philly Cooperative Preschool, Park Pleasant Nursing Home, Walnut Hill Comm. Assoc., Promethius Radio, ACT-UP Philadelphia, New Life Consumer Center, Neighborhood Bike Works, New Freedom Theater, The Harris Steppers, Youth Build Philadelphia, The Enterprise Center CDC Street Team, United Block Captains Association, Mariposa Food Cooperative, Philly BDS, Philadelphia Outward Bound, Project Home, Broad Street Ministries, Tasker Elite, Village of Arts and Humanities, Montessori Genesis 2 School, Teens 4 Good, Jane Addams Place, and Friends of Clark Park. This program would not have been possible without the generous support from PNC Arts Alive.

PEOPLEHOOD is Spiral Q's annual artistic response to the times. It is our joyful, festive demonstration that we as people can come together, grapple with the issues of the day, and respond meaningfully in the streets. Through a giant puppet parade and pageant we offer a magical, relevant and participatory process for Philadelphians to create a new vision for our world…

October 2010-Spiral Q Collaborates with Michelangelo Pistoletto and the PMA

In 1967, the artist Michelangelo Pistoletto rolled a ball of pressed newspapers through the streets of Turin, Italy. Bringing this artistic vision to life in a city's streets was truly groundbreaking 43 years ago. Pistoletto was one of the founders of the Arte Povera Movement, which sprung from the idea of making revolutionary art that was completely free of conventional practice. Pistoletto is also widely considered to be a major contributor to the minimalist, conceptionalist and pop-art movements. When the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) decided to kick-off this major retrospective of the artist's works with a reenactment of his 1967 Turin walk, who better to invite to fabricate the famous ball and help lead the walk through Philadelphia's streets and other public places than Spiral Q? Join us on Saturday at 1:30pm at the PMA's West Entrance when Pistoletto and Spiral Q depart to reenact this historic event. FREE and open to the public. Rain or shine.

October 2010-11th Annual Peoplehood Parade and Pageant

Spiral Q’s Peoplehood Parade and Pageant is Saturday, October 23rd

The Giant Puppet Extravaganza Brings Neighbors Together,
Celebrates Our Stories and Creativity

PEOPLEHOOD is Spiral Q's annual artistic response to the times. It is our joyful, festive demonstration that we as people can come together, grapple with the issues of the day, and respond meaningfully in the streets. Through a giant puppet parade and pageant we offer a magical, relevant and participatory process for Philadelphians to create a new vision for our world…

This year, Spiral Q has been engaging with groups to discuss how we creatively respond to discrimination. See how heartfelt concerns that lay deep in the fabric of our community are conveyed through the loving and creative process of giant puppet pageantry. See your neighbors carrying personal symbols of identity and transcendence through the streets of West Philadelphia. See young and old perform together in Clark Park. See Philadelphians of every shape, size and hue work things out through play and creativity.

Peoplehood is much more than the spectacle of a giant puppet parade and performance that annually brightens the streets of West Philadelphia on a fun October, Saturday. Peoplehood is a community-building process that brings neighbors together to think about issues and topics that are important to us. Then, in working with Spiral Q artists, these ideas are transformed into huge puppet art, and finally worked into meaningful parade and pageant performances that EVERYONE gets to perform. It’s a fantastic way to get to know your neighbors and community.

Come out to Peoplehood. Walk in the parade or wait for it to arrive at Clark Park and then watch the giant puppet pageant tell a true community story. Peoplehood is like no other Philadelphia tradition. Help us bring this year’s Peoplehood parade and pageant to life! This year’s Peoplehood is made possible through the generous support of PNC ArtsAlive, letting everyone “be part of art.”

PARADE: 1pm at The Paul Robeson House, 50th and Walnut Streets
12pm if you want to join in!

PAGEANT: Watch the pageant around 2pm at Chester and 45th streets. Pack a picnic!
Bring friends and family!

September 2010-Pulse of the People Meeting

SHARE YOUR STORIES
Tuesday, September 14th,
6pm to 8pm
@ Spiral Q
3114 Spring Garden Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104

You can feel it in today's air. Opposition. Conflict. Fear. Battles over immigration. Battles in foreign wars. Right versus left. High school students menacing one another. Pastors wanting to burn holy books. Cheesesteak shop owners in the news. Outrage over mosques. Passion about Ground Zero. Spiral Q invites you to look around at today's moment and join us in conversation. We want to SHARE STORIES about ENCOUNTERS WITH DISCRIMINATION. Come to Spiral Q and be part of the conversation. We can't wait to hear and learn from each other. We're taking the pulse of the people.