Music filled the main hall of the Cambridge Foundry to welcome attendees as many programs went underway for the third annual Foundry Festival. This year’s theme is “resilience.”
“We need it,” said Paige Curtis, an attendee. “It seems like [the Foundry] have curated a lot of different ways to explore the concept.”
For one week, from Feb. 15 to Feb. 22, the Foundry hosts 104 free programs to engage people of all ages in diverse communities. The Foundry is a nonprofit organization located in Kendall Square, and is run by the Foundry Consortium. It “helps facilitate access for residents, especially underrepresented communities,” to learning spaces. There are also office spaces offered for other businesses and non-profit organizations.
Maker Space Associate Gray Winburne of the Foundry explained that they were a part of the creative side of the festival. Maker space associates helped hang posters and decorations in the space, and also developed some of the materials for programming.
“I love the idea that people are coming in and learning new things,” Winburne said. “Looking around now, people are playing with so many different materials.”
Several tables in the main hall of the Foundry were open for different crafts like making fidget toys or creating art out of pipe cleaners.
“It’s just wonderful to be able to provide people space to learn and grow and to be in community,” Winburne added.
The festival has a broad range of programs lined up for the week, including arts and crafts, dancing, film screenings, and many different workshops. Programs are free and are available as drop-ins or attendees can register online to reserve a spot.
Curtis, who lives in the area, had never been to the festival before. Having found out about the festival from a community newsletter, she said that she appreciated the messaging behind this year’s events.
“For me, I do a lot of climate change work, so climate resilience is kind of what I think about most when it comes to resilience,” Curtis said.
Amara Shorts, who ran a program on Feb. 16 and is the co-founder and creative director of the New England Black Circus, was pleased by the outcome of the event. The program was called “Circus of Frustration: Building Self-Esteem With Silly Failure,” stating, “Frustration is all a part of the plan.” It taught the basics of juggling and balance. The program also went into physical forms of comedy with props and improvisation.
“Everyone came in with enthusiasm and creativity, and resolved to learn something new even if it was difficult,” Shorts said, who ran the youth-focused program.
Some aspects of the festival focused on underrepresented communities. One of the most popular activities the program included was juggling.
“There are 48 Black circus professionals in North America, which means every major metropolitan has one core or zero Black people doing circus,” Shorts said. “In order for us to start a roster of Black circus professionals, and continue to perform as a Black circus troupe, we’ve had to create things that there is no template for.”
“I think resilience is kind of embedded in the DNA of what it means to be an underrepresented person-of-color performer,” Shorts said. Shorts went on to say that there are many different programs and resources at the Foundry, including program, event, and performance rental spaces.
Winburne also ran their own program last Sunday which included quilt-making which was inspired by thinking of “who gets to have a story.” they said
“I am inspired by the artist Faith Ringgold, who would make these quilts based on stories from her life,” Winburne said. “I think so many people have had interactions where they’ve had to be resilient, of things they’ve had to face, and so this idea of taking down the story, really like marketing yourself in a part of your life, [I] think is a great way to demonstrate like, ‘This is what I’ve gone through and this is how I’ve come out the other side.’”
