FireFish @ Art in the Park
Summer, 2023
Join FireFish Arts at these engaging hands-on youth and family arts events to create your own “make it – take it” lantern project. Help us create a giant lantern installation at the FireFish Festival with our FireFish artists! Activities take place in the City of Lorain Parks and are offered in collaboration with Lorain’s new Art in the Park Project, led by Gloria Buxton.
Wednesdays from 11 am – 2 pm
- June 14th – Masks – Oakwood Park
- June 21st – Blooming – Johnnie Wilson Park
- June 28th – Summer of Transformation: Butterflies – Sargent Sam Felton Park
- July 12th – Play – Lakeview Park
- July 19th – Summer – G Street Park
- August 9th – Exploration – Pawlawk Park
Lantern Making @ the Lorain Public Library, Main Branch
Children’s Workshops
Thursday, June 22nd, and July 13th, and Saturday, August 5th at 1 pm
Create a lantern-themed “Make it- Take-it” lantern at the Lorain Public Library and help us create a giant lantern installation for the FireFish Festival connected to the summer reading theme, “All Together Now,” for one day a month from June – August.
Lantern Making @ the Little Library at Lakeview Park
Join us at these family-friendly workshops to create a lantern for yourself — and one for the new FireFish Festival Lantern Parade at the FireFish Festival. A FireFish Maker-In-Residence Ryan Craycraft will lead this project.
- Tuesday, June 20 from 3 – 5 pm: Learn introductory techniques to construct a lantern/ lit sculpture.
- Tuesday, June 27 from 3 – 5 pm: Experiment with color that reflects the themes of light and dark in pattern and design in lantern/light design.
- Tuesday, July 11 from 3 – 5 pm: Create a hanging lantern.
- Tuesday, July 18 from 3 – 5 pm: Create community art with us! Participate in the creation of a large-scale lantern installation for the FireFish Festival and learn more about the public art process.
Summer Saturdays at Lakeview Beach with FireFish
June 16 & July 15 from 2 – 4 pm
Join FireFish, library staff, and community partners to meet new friends, create memorable experiences, and explore fun and exciting activities with us. The Little Library on the Lake aims to enrich community connections by strengthening community awareness, cultivating relevant resources, and promoting equity and inclusion through partnerships.
Portrait of a City Project
May – September 2023
The Lorain: Portrait of a City project is an arts-based storytelling project about the history of Lorain, its’ people, and the community. Working alongside Lorain artists, teens, and college students create art that celebrates the spirit of Lorain and its diverse people.
- Hometown Heroes – Building on several series of portraits created to celebrate Black, Latino, and women role models and leaders, teens from the ACES program research historical figures and paint portraits of local Lorain “heroes.” Facilitated by artist Jeff Pye, Start w/Art director.
- Stories of Lorain – Working alongside Lorain artist Hiatt Hernon, teens from Lorain High School and Lorain County Community College explore old and new technologies to create a video portrait of their city. Hernon, whose latest project titled “Erie Days – A Temporal Gallery” was inspired by the cinematic curiosity of the 1920s ‘city symphony’ short films. Capturing the experimental spirit of early cameras using the go-pro camera technology of today, this work serves as a prototype that encourages youth to learn new techniques, experiment, and develop their video portraits of Lorain.
SPARKS! Exploring Dark & Light through the Arts, STEAM, & Literature
October 2023 – September 2025
SPARKS! launches on October 16 to celebrate the fall “ring of fire” solar eclipse, building toward the total eclipse of the sun, taking place on April 8, 2024. During that once-in-a-lifetime event, Lorain’s location in the path of totality will put the city in total darkness for almost 4 minutes, igniting excitement and interest in “exploring dark and light.”
In year two, SPARKS! further expands these themes of “Transcending Dark to Light” by exploring digital fabrication tools, literacy, literature, and creative expression across history, with a focus on notable Renaissance artists and scientists including Leonardo DaVinci and Copernicus.
Creative arts, nature, science, making, literature, and more converge in experiences that bring the cosmos and solar system to life for community youth in exciting and engaging new ways!
Youth Programming & SPARKS! Partners
Aces Youth Program, Art in the Park, Lorain County Public Library, Lorain County Community College, Lorain City Schools, the Lorain County Metroparks, El Centro/231 GO! Youth Program, Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, Main Street Lorain, Start with Art, Lorain Palace Youth Theater, Mad Factory Youth Theatre, North Pointe Ballet, Rock Town Academy
FireFish Arts Mission
As a non-profit community-based arts organization, FireFish Arts works to revitalize the city of Lorain through arts based creative placemaking. We accomplish this by providing pioneering arts programming, community art access and outreach, and critical arts leadership. At the core of this effort is supporting the vital role artists play in their community.
FireFish Arts programs are made possible by the generous support of many individual, business, and corporate sponsors, foundations, and local and state government including the Ohio Arts Council, the City of Lorain, the Lorain County Commissioners, Nordson Corporation Foundation, the Nord Family Foundation, the Fowler Family Foundation and GM on Main Street.