Sunday, September 20th is Community Day at the John James Audubon Center. Everyone is invited to enjoy food, drinks, and music as we celebrate cultural connections to nature, fall migration, and birds’ unique ability to unite us all. Festivities will include traditional Mexican folk dance, classical Indian dance, activities for kids, bird-themed facepainting and henna tattoos, food trucks, local breweries, canoeing, and more! This year’s Community Day will also coincide with our new fall/winter art exhibit. Tree of Life is a solo exhibition by Natessa Amin featuring bird-inspired artworks from her Split Inheritance series. The project considers the "tree of life" as a symbol that appears across cultures, generations, and histories. A selection of Árboles de la Vida (trees of life) sculptures created by local community art circles and Las Artivistas from CCATE - Center of Culture, Art, Training and Education - will also be on view as part of the Tree of Life exhibition. These Mexican clay sculptures were originally created for religious purposes, but many have expanded to explore themes such as the duality of life and death and humanity’s relationship with nature, while still retaining traditional elements like Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden. Scheduled Community Day Experiences Include: Audubon Bird Ambassador – 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm and 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Fabulous Faces Facepainting – 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm Art Of Henna by Aswini Henna Tattoos - 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm Historic House Open (self-guided) – 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm (Includes access to Tree of Life art exhibition and CCATE Árboles de la Vida sculptures) Birding by Canoe (bilingual) – 3:00 pm, 3:45 pm, 4:30 pm, and 5:15 pm (Advanced registration is recommended but not required. Email millgrove@audubon.org.) Sri Sai Nataraja Academy of Kuchipudi dance performance – 5:00 pm - 5:30 pm Ballet Folklorico Yaretzi Mexican folk dance performance – 6:30 pm - 7:00 pm Starting at 3:00, a shuttle will run at 30-minute intervals between CCATE, located at 1246 W. Main Street in Norristown, and the John James Audubon Center. Last departure from the Center will be at 7:00. No reservations are needed. Shuttle, activities, and museum admission are FREE all day. Food and beverages available for purchase. Must be 21 years or older to be served alcohol.
