Provincetown hosts third annual green arts festival – Provincetown Banner

Some art takes us to other worlds. Some art makes us better see and care about the world we live in. This art does both.

Sponsored by the Provincetown Conservation Trust, “Appearances 2013,” the third annual green arts festival in Provincetown, is a town-wide celebration and artistic exploration of nature and the ways we coexist with the world around us. For 10 days, April 19-28, outdoor and indoor art installations, talks, readings, film screenings, theatrical and musical performances and a workshop or two, including a “sustainable chocolate” demonstration, will spring up all over town.

Go to provincetownconservationtrust.org for a list of exhibitions and events — but impromptu happenings are sure to also crop up so keep your eyes and ears open as you meander around town over the next two weeks.

Festivities begin with an opening night party at 6 p.m. Friday, April 19, at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, 115 Bradford St. A new complement to the festival, the “Science on Screen” film series, spearheaded by Gabrielle Hanna, executive director of the Provincetown Film Society, runs through the first weekend, Friday, April 19, through Monday, April 22 (Earth Day). Poet Elizabeth Bradfield organized the readings and festival co-founders Dorothy Palanza and Tina Trudel, with a hardworking team of volunteers, labored all year to launch the whole affair.

While many artists are staying in private homes and guest houses, at least 25 are camping at the Dune’s Edge Campground, making the site, which doubles as the festival’s central sculpture garden, something of a cross between the deCordova sculpture park and Burning Man, complete with a drum circle at the closing ceremony at noon on Sunday, April 28.

A preview hike through the twisty trails at the campground, located at 386 Route 6, an easy walk east from the intersection of Conwell Street across the highway, lent a new meaning to the expression “found art.” Palanza will lead a tour down these trails at noon on Saturday, April 20, and again at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, but solo strolls are recommended — wandering into this natural labyrinth is magical.

Palanza says that along with the many wonderful things going on in town, she may be most excited about the festival taking over the campground this year, giving the artists a “home base.” She says she doesn’t know if she’ll camp there herself this year during the fest, but “I’ll spend as much time there as I can. I’m just going to be so crazy running around,” she explains. “I end up organizing every day, so not this year. But I wouldn’t rule it out for the future.”

She says she greatly appreciates the help of campground manager David Finch, who opened the grounds early, turning on the water and making everything welcoming for the artists.

Further, Palanza cannot contain her excitement about the town’s acquisition of a conservation easement on the property, a 17-acre scenic swatch of land now protected from development. What could better reflect the mission of this springtime festival, which finds and shares so much beauty in environmental sustainability?

Read more: Provincetown hosts third annual green arts festival – - Wicked Local Provincetown
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