at the International Festival of Arts & Ideas
Calling all young thinkers and tinkerers!
Join us on the New Haven Green from noon until 4 PM to help construct a model city of the future made out of cardboard boxes and other supplies. Local architects, makers, and city planners will assist, offering advice and distributing permits to Box City’s young entrepreneurs.
Join us in the construction of this summer’s Box City on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, June 17th – 18th, at the International Festival of Arts and Ideas. Box City has a long history at the Festival, being one of the staple interactive programs for kids to participate in on the New Haven Green. Part of this summer’s Scene on the Green, children will again be constructing a smart, sustainable, equitable, recyclable model city of the future.
Materials
As usual, the Festival will provide recycled cardboard boxes and other craft supplies (safety scissors, glue, tape, popsicle sticks, paint, pipe cleaners, etc); and this year we are asking you, the community, to consider saving and collecting other useful materials. Empty cereal boxes, cardboard tubes, wood off-cuts, Styrofoam pieces, and fabric scraps are just a few ideas of what could be useful. Please bring them along on the day of the event.
Volunteers
Many volunteer positions are available to help organize activities during the event on Saturday and Sunday. We’ll have hardhats and safety vests for anyone who wants to participate, or you are welcome to bring your own professional “costume”. Betsy Ratner will serve her next term as mayor of Box City, and Bruce Spiewak will reprise his role as chief building inspector. We’ll need lots of others to act as inspectors, hand out building permits and materials, provide expert cutting services, and offer child-friendly design advice. Volunteers can sign up by filling out the Box City Volunteer Form.
Please consider helping out and spreading the word. We’re looking forward to building a great Box City this year!