Recyle and reuse and bring items old and new to create urban folk art! Add to sculptures or weave into a giant loom; use historic tools; and participate in mural & sidewalk paintings with local artists
Ongoing activities available: visit farm animals & historic structures
Dallas Heritage Village invites the community to recycle and reuse, think outside of the box, and discover their inner artists at this year’s Spring Fling: It Takes a Village, March 11-14, 2014, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. (activity times 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.), at Dallas Heritage Village, 1515 South Harwood Street, 75215. This year’s week-long event theme is about the process of working together, creating community art using recycled and found materials, and learning more about the past and how neighbors depended on each other to survive. Examples of art projects: a giant loom, a 3D sculpture, mural and sidewalk paintings with local artists assisting.
“Whether it was bringing in a herd or raising a barn, neighbors working together got things done, and communities were born,” said Melissa Prycer, Executive Director, Dallas Heritage Village. “It is our hope that Spring Fling visitors will gain a deeper appreciation of the value of teamwork and create some unique art projects for all to enjoy.”
Suggested items to share may include textiles such as yarn, ribbon, rugs, fabric, and old clothes. Items ideal for the sculpture projects might include broken tools or appliances, dishes, shoes, wood (old frames, furniture) and any other parts and pieces.
“We encourage you to think outside the box and find a new purpose for those items you hate to throw away but don’t know what to do with,” added Prycer. “It will be great fun to see how the projects have progressed at the end of the week!”
Additionally, during Spring Fling, as restoration of the Depot will be in progress, there will be a station next to the Depot where visitors may try out historic tools. The way things were built many years ago is very different from the way things are built today, giving visitors an appreciation for the power tools and technologies of today as well as the time, effort, and teamwork involved in building in the past.
Ongoing Dallas Heritage Village activities such as tours of the Millermore and Sullivan homes will also be available throughout the week. Listen in on the party line as you learn about the Village's history through the cell phone tour and play in the Learning Lounge with trains, Lincoln Logs and doll houses. The Blum Brothers store will be open for young shopkeepers, shoppers, and postal workers. Nip and Tuck will also be busy giving their ever-popular rides around the Village for 25 cents a person.
On Wednesday, March 12, at 11 a.m., Barnyard Buddies Story time for Preschoolers “It Looked Like Spilt Milk” by Charles Shaw will be featured. With the community art showcased during the week, preschoolers will enjoy looking up at the biggest canvas of all – the sky – and painting with their imaginations. In the story, the white shape silhouetted against a blue background changes on every page: is it a rabbit, a bird, or just spilt milk? Cost is $5/participating child. 1 accompanying adult per child free. Additional adults: $9
“March is an extremely busy time at Dallas Heritage Village, and we anticipate seeing a lot of folks during the annual Spring Fling week,” added Prycer. “We are so excited to see the creativity that will emerge when all of our young artists arrive with treasures from home to create art projects. The beauty of it all is that not only will kids who don’t know each other learn how to work together, many who don’t think they are artists will find out they are. Perhaps new interests or hobbies will be discovered!”
Tickets are $9/ adults; $7/ seniors; $5 / kids 4-12, children 3 and under are free. All activities are free with admission. Exact schedules for Village characters vary. For more information, go to www.dallasheritagevillage.org or call 214-421-5141. Check in at Spring Fling via Foursquare and Facebook. Leave your tips and reviews and let others know about all the fun things happening.
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Dallas Heritage Village, located at Old City Park, is a nationally accredited history museum, depicting life in Dallas from 1840-1910. It is one of only five museums in the Dallas area to have this distinction. The grounds showcase 38 historic structures, including log cabins, the pre-Civil War Millermore home, a Victorian Main Street, a railroad complex, an 1860s farmstead with livestock, a 19th century church, school and more. Visitors discover how crops were grown, animals cared for and how family living progressed from log cabins to grand manors and Victorian homes. Dallas Heritage Village is supported, in part, by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs and the Texas Commission on the Arts as well as individual and group donations. Dallas Heritage Village was nominated in 2011 and 2012 by D Magazine as one of the top Dallas-area family attractions. It is located at 1515 South Harwood, one block south of Farmers Market in Downtown Dallas. Hours of operation are Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Sunday, noon – 4 p.m. The Village is closed the months of January and August. Regular admission is $9 for adults, $7 for seniors 65+ and $5 for children ages 4-12. Children under 4 and members of Dallas Heritage Village are admitted free of charge. For more information call 214-421-5141 or visit www.DallasHeritageVillage.org