Arpeggione Ensemble and silk artist Susan Quateman of Gloucester invite audiences of all ages to experience “The Crab and the Knot,” at two free multimedia performances.
The program explores the connections between horseshoe crabs and red knot shorebirds through the arts, and will be presented at 1:30 p.m. this Saturday, Aug. 15, at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge’s visitor center, 6 Plum Island Turnpike in Newburyport, and at 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 30, at Allyn Cox Reservation, Greenbelt’s headquarters, at 82 Eastern Ave. in Essex.
The artists created this family-friendly program to explore the ecological relationship and fight for survival of the horseshoe crab and red knot — “an ancient animal and an intrepid bird.”
“Told through a fable-like story, ‘The Crab and the Knot’ follows the intertwined survival of the horseshoe crab — often called a ‘living fossil’ — and the migratory red knot, whose extraordinary journey depends on horseshoe crab spawning cycles along the Atlantic coast. Blending storytelling, live music, silk paintings, and science, the performance invites audiences into an emotional and sensory exploration of coastal ecology by combining sound and image with science,” according to a program statement.
The production features storyteller Judith Black, with music and text by the Arpeggione Ensemble, silk paintings by Quateman, and a video by Lisa Smith showing the science behind the relationship of the horseshoe crabs and red knots and why they are both threatened by humans.
“This project grew out of a shared desire to create something that helps people feel connected to the Great Marsh and the extraordinary species that depend on it,” Quateman said. “We create an emotional and sensory experience of coastal ecology, combining sound and image with science. Science gives us knowledge, but the arts help create emotional connection in ways that inspire advocacy and action.”
These artists sought an interdisciplinary approach that combines the arts with environmental education, and with this program in particular, they encourage audiences to learn about and advocate for the horseshoe crab and red knot in the larger quest to safeguard the environment.
Following this Saturday’s performance , Quateman will lead an educational art workshop for children at 2:30 p.m.
The program is funded in part by the Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation and by the Kathleen Van Demark Fund for the Great Marsh, overseen by the Manship Artists Residency with support from Artists for the Great Marsh.
Advance registration is encouraged at: www.arpeggione-ensemble.com.
Gail McCarthy may be contacted at 978-675-2706, or gmccarthy@northofboston.com.