Fashionably Yours, Cardboard
Tammy Allen, next to Mykl Well’s “Chimera built in 2008” sculpture, at the 2012 Cardboard Ball.
photo: A.T. Willett
Wearing used clothes is one thing, but wearing used cardboard?
Yes. Yes, indeed!
At 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, participants and guests at the Cardboard Ball are doing just that. Artist and community members will showcase fun fashions and artistic creations at this one of a kind party – and, you guessed it – everything will be made from cardboard.
The annual Cardboard Ball is a fundraiser to help put on All Souls Procession Workshops, which are free opportunities for the community to create fun art projects to prepare for and bring to the All Souls Procession. The workshops run for the five weeks leading up to the procession on Nov. 2 and 3.
“To me, a big part of what I do as an artist is try to create an environment where creativity, imagination and playfulness and be experienced and I think a lot of those things get pushed aside when we become adults,” said Mykl Wells, local artist and director of the All Souls Workshops. “But when you allow people the space to do those things, really remarkable things happen. Really beautiful, remarkable things.”
Wells explained that workshop participants create great works of art from mundane objects that then appear in the All Souls Procession. Some people make lanterns and masks, while others make floats for the parade. And none of it could be possible without the Cardboard Ball.
“It goes right into the workshops. It pays for the paint, it pays for the newspaper. Whatever we can get our hands on to make stuff with, we use it.” Wells said. “We need all the help we can get. I’m a really strong believer that if you want your community to support you, you have to support your community.”
Half the tickets to the event have already been sold, with an expected grand total of 300 guests. Cardboard Ball attendees are encouraged to wear cardboard outfits but anything made from recycled materials is acceptable.
“If you showed up in a dress made out of Doritos bags, I would be cool with that,” Wells joked.
The Cardboard Ball will feature great music and refreshments too. Four different DJs are spinning the tunes for lots of dancing, Borderlands Brewery making a special beer, and there’s also a raffle and a photo booth for more fun.
The Cardboard Ball is at Steinfeld Warehouse, 101 W. 6th St. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the door. Advance tickets are available at Yikes Toy Store, Pop Cycle and Borderlands Brewery. For more information about the Cardboard Ball or the All Souls Procession workshops, email Mykl Wells at info@myklwells.com or MyklWells.com.
Category: Arts, Community, DOWNTOWN / UNIVERSITY / 4TH AVE
