FREE Family Fun at Woodruff Arts Center June 3

photo provided by the Woodruff Arts Center

What: Community Day at The Woodruff
When: Sunday, June 3, 2012 11 – 5 pm
Where: Woodruff Arts Center (includes the High Museum, Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Young Audiences) 1280 Peachtree St., NE, Atlanta, GA 30309
Cost: FREE!

On Sunday, June 3, 2012, The Woodruff Arts Center and its divisions – the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, High Museum of Art and Young Audiences –  commemorate the 50th anniversary of the tragedy at Orly Airport, which was the catalyst for the founding of The Woodruff with a Free Community Day. Activities include:

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  photo provided by the Woodruff Arts Center

  An instrument petting zoo by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

• Alliance Theatre reading of “Wish You Were Here” – a poem commissioned for this anniversary by the award winning author and playwright, Pearl Cleage – as well as acting workshops (click here to register ) and performances of “Waiting for Balloon.”
• Admission to the High Museum of Art and an art workshop for the whole family. The High will also feature Jean-Pierre Franque’s painting “Allegory on the state of France before the return of the Egyptian Campaign,” on loan from Paris’ Louvre Museum for this anniversary.
• Interactive performances and hands-on activities (storytelling, puppet shows, a community art project, multi-cultural music and much more) by Young Audiences.
• Additionally, Atlanta native Alfred Uhry, the Tony Award, Academy Award and Pulitzer Prize recipient and author of “Driving Miss Daisy,” will participate in a special Q&A during Community Day. His new play “Apples & Oranges,” based on the book by Marie Brenner, will premiere at the Alliance Theatre in October.

My boys and I made these great hats and masks at a family event a few years ago at the Woodruff Arts Center

What an amazing way to commemorate a tragedy. For those that don’t know about the plane crash at Orly Airport, 130 people died when a plane bound for Atlanta crashed on the runway. On board were 122 Atlanta Art Association patrons on a tour of Europe. For some background, here is a good article from the Reporter Newspapers on the Orly plane crash.

After reading a lot about the event, I can’t help but think those that perished in the crash have been working overtime in the next life to make sure their work continues. The Woodruff Arts Center was conceived as a memorial to the victims. If I ever have a memorial to my life, I want it to be something happy and fun like the Woodruff Arts Center. This accident happened well before I was born so I don’t know any of the victims, but I bet they will be smiling on Community Day as they watch all the families enjoying what they literally gave their lives to start.