Join us at The Foundry in East Cambridge from Saturday, February 15 to Saturday, February 22 for our third annual Foundry Festival! Immerse yourself in a week of free public programming and create connections with diverse communities.

All ages and skill levels are welcome to participate in as many activities as you are excited about. This is a great chance to engage the family over the February school break!

This year's festival theme is Resilience. Resilience to us is celebrating how our stories, cultures, and communities continue to thrive. It is not just the act of survival, but creating strong communities that take care of each other. Many of our communities have been consistently forced to practice resilience due to systemic oppression. This year we want to take the time to uplift the ways in which we band together to not only survive but to create moments together where we can truly live. We invite you to our weeklong festival that celebrates who we are, who we want to be, and a vision for a future where resiliency can be a word that is not only a response to hardship but the way we interact with the world around us. This year we welcome you to cook with us, create with us, dance with us, and continue to grow together.

Schedule of Events:

10:00 am - 11:00 am: Circus Of Frustration: Building Self-Esteem With Silly Failure - Amara Shorts and Haus of Cirque Facilitators

Come get silly with us in an all-ages circus workshop! Ringmaster Amara Shorts (and her circus facilitator friends) will teach the basics of how to juggle and balance, and we promise that the initial frustration is all a part of the plan. We will explore physical comedy with props and improv and loosen up with creative movement exercises, but mostly we will learn that it's still valuable to fail at a new skill on the first try.

10:00 am - 11:00 am: Classical Music Concert for Babies and Parents - Artyh Labs Inc.

Come get silly with us in an all-ages circus workshop! Ringmaster Amara Shorts (and her circus facilitator friends) will teach the basics of how to juggle and balance, and we promise that the initial frustration is all a part of the plan. We will explore physical comedy with props and improv and loosen up with creative movement exercises, but mostly we will learn that it's still valuable to fail at a new skill on the first try.

11:00 am - 12:00 pm: Classical Music Concert for Babies and Parents - Artyh Labs Inc.

Artysh Lab's interactive classical music baby concerts are uniquely designed experiences that combine live music with guided interaction. Led by a dedicated facilitator, these concerts create a welcoming space where babies and their caregivers can explore the joy of music together. Rooted in research on how babies perceive and respond to sound, the program introduces classical music in a way that captivates little ones and nurtures their early cognitive and emotional development.

12:00 pm - 1:30 pm: The History of the Invention of Trinidad and Tobago Steel Pan- An Interactive Workshop - Ulric Johnson - Drop-in program

The steel pan, invented in Trinidad and Tobago, is the only acoustic instrument of the 20th century. During steel pan band performances, participants will be allowed to use different steel pans and instruments.

12:00 pm - 2:00 pm: Resilient Creations - From Scrap to Splendor - Jesse Cannon

Join us for a hands-on workshop where you'll learn how to transform reclaimed and scrap materials into practical, beautiful household items like coasters, cutting boards, and more! In this session, you'll discover how to evaluate the quality of reclaimed materials and how to brainstorm how to make the most from what you have gathered. You will also leave with a unique, custom-made item to take home! This session is for both new and seasoned makers.

12:00 pm - 2:00 pm: Fidget Toys and The Art of Sensation - March Penn - Drop-in program

Create fidget toys using recycled and creative materials and explore sensory experiences! This session emphasizes feeling the nuances and intricacies of self-guided touch. Express the journey of your sensations through visual art and/or poetry, using prompts like, “How would you narrate your day using only sensations?” or “What does feeling your own touch look like?”

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm: Zumba with Shavonne B - Shavonne B - Drop-in program

Join us for a fun-filled 45-minute Zumba class. Shavonne will lead you through an upbeat and soulful class incorporating aerobic exercise and afro-beat and Caribbean-style dance steps that will make you feel empowered and
energized.

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Movement for Bisexual Resilience - Kylie Terra Burnham - Drop-in program

In this session, we'll build community through moving together. We'll start with a brief discussion about resilience, community, and belonging. Afterward, we'll have a guided exploration of elements of movement, based in Viewpoints, an ensemble-building practice used in dance and theatre. No prior dance experience is needed, and, as an improvised practice, movement can easily be adapted based on ability. Wear clothes that you can comfortably move in! Viewpoints work can be cathartic, connecting us to our embodied experience, as well as creating group energy and connection. By building community through movement, I hope to generate a space of togetherness and belonging. A key factor for building resilience for people with marginalized sexualities and genders is having affinity spaces where we feel belonging. In these spaces, we can complete identity development processes for these innate parts of ourselves. Bi, ace, and trans people often do not get this in broader queer spaces, which tend to center on cis gay and lesbian experiences. This workshop centers people under the bi+ umbrella (e.g. all people who experience sexual or romantic attraction regardless of gender, or to both similar and different genders), and is open to anyone who wants to be in community with bi+ people.

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Laughing Through the Pain (Comedy Workshop) - Emily Goldstein - Drop-in program

Are you interested in comedy writing, and/or have you been told that you're funny? Have you wanted to find a way to talk about the heavy stuff that's either happened in your life, or what's going on around the world? Join this standup “traumedy” writing workshop to learn more and walk away with one joke that you feel good about! When it comes to 'traumedy' that covers anything from little 't' to big 'T' “traumedy” across a variety of subjects like health, religion, politics, relationships, etc. No experience is required to attend.

2:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Speaking of Resilience - TC Squared Theatre Company - Drop-in program

TCSquared Theatre Company's talented playwrights and actors perform selected play excerpts focused on the powerful theme of "Resilience" in our lives. Join us as we spark hope, honor the spirit of perseverance, and strengthen the greater Cambridge community through our words and artistic expression.

3:00 pm - 6:00 pm: Stitching Stories - Create a Community Quilt- Gray Winburne - Drop-in program

Join us in making a community memory quilt! Inspired by renowned artist Faith Ringgold, this workshop will help you make quilt squares that tell a story. Talk about your life and how you've been resilient through the power of fiber arts! In the end, everyone's individual squares will be stitched together to create a comfort for the community. No sewing experience is required, materials will be provided.

4:00 pm - 6:00 pm: Cumulus, an embodied investigation - Jassi Murad - Urbano Project - Drop-in program

A cumulus is a cloud formation; a collection of water vapor unfolding into and onto itself. In this sensory-based workshop on creative embodiment, guided language, metaphor, and nature speak will invite you and your body to respond and unfold into its ‘path of least resistance' - what you want to become. The search is for space, elevation, and possibility; the workshop is composed of discussion, solitary practices, and group exercises. Come with an open heart and curious mind.