2020 Archive
In June 2020, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Cambridge Arts turned its annual River Festival into a virtual Stream Festival. Below and in the subpages is an archive of the event.
Join Cambridge Arts for our 2020 Stream Festival on Saturday, June 6, from 2 to 9:20 p.m. It’s the City’s annual River Festival reimagined as an online showcase of music, dance, theater, the Peoples Sculpture Race, Mermaid Promenade, the Climate Action Pavilion, and art activities for children. And preview the festival below.
The Cambridge Arts Stream Festival is proud to partner with Cambridge Community Television to present this work on our website as well as on CCTV’s channel and streaming platforms. Preview the festival at cambridgema.gov/streamfest, then on the day of the festival watch there or on CCTV's Channel 9, cctvcambridge.org/channel09. Live presentations will be streamed on the Facebook pages of CCTV (https://www.facebook.com/cctvcambridge/) and CambridgeArts (https://www.facebook.com/CambridgeArtsCouncil/
Schedule:
2:00 p.m. Welcome from Cambridge Arts Executive Director Jason Weeks
2:05 p.m. Jazz by Bob Toabe, Ken Field and Jonathan Suazo
2:34 p.m. Dance Complex flamenco lesson
3:37 p.m. Theater: Joshua Wolf Coleman performs excerpts from 'Thurgood' by George Stevens, Jr., and Central Square Theater presents “Act Up & Vote!”
4:05 p.m. How-to-Draw Mermaids demo for children by Bren Bataclan
4:11 p.m. People's Sculpture Racing
5:10 p.m. Folk Music by Rachel Sumner
5:30 p.m. Dance performance by Abilities Dance
6:00 p.m. Climate Action: Concert for the Sycamores
6:30 p.m. Poetry Tent with Rhina P. Espaillat, Martha Collins, Lloyd Schwartz, Toni Bee, Doug Holder, Mary Buchinger, Fred Edson Lafortune, Hilary Sallick, Fred Marchant, David McCann,x Jacqui Morton, and Lo Galluccio, presented by Jean-Dany Joachim
7:40 p.m. Tour of Harvard Art Museums’ exhibition "Painting Edo: Japanese Art from the Feinberg Collection" by curator Rachel Saunders
8:10 p.m. Dance from the Midday Movement program, including Victoria Awkward, Caitlin Canty, Sasha Peterson, Asia Pyron, Noli Rosen, and Ronnie Thomas
8:50 p.m. Vibraphone performance by Julian Loida
9:11 p.m. Virtual Art Exhibit by Deidre Tao
9:18 p.m. Mermaid Promenade virtual parade
With the health and safety of our artists, performers, audiences, vendors, suppliers, volunteers and staff as a primary consideration, the City of Cambridge and Cambridge Arts decided in April to reimagine the Cambridge Arts annual, live River Festival as a virtual event. (Read the full message from Cambridge Arts Executive Director Jason Weeks.)
$20,000 that would have been used to produce the 2020 River Festival has been contributed to the Cambridge Artist Relief Fund, based at the Cambridge Community Foundation. Learn more about resources available for the arts community.
2020 Cambridge Arts Stream Festival introduction by Jason Weeks
Jazz Performances Introduced by Shelley Neill
Flamenco Lesson Introduced by Peter Di Muro
Laura Sanchez: Flamenco for Beginners | Dance Complex
Theatrical Performances Introduced by Kirsten Swartz
Joshua Wolf Coleman Performs Excerpts from 'Thurgood' by George Stevens, Jr.
Youth Underground at Central Square Theater 'Act Up & Vote!'
People's Sculpture Race - Part 1
Dance from Midday Movement Series Introduced by Marissa Molinar
Kendra Portier and Sasha Peterson | Midday Movement Series
Victoria Awkward | Midday Movement Series
Ronnie Thomas | Midday Movement Series
Noli Rosen | Midday Movement Series
Asia Pyron | Midday Movement Series
Caitlin Canty | Midday Movement Series
This curated collection of Massachusetts landscape paintings by Deidre Tao explores themes of tranquility and reflection as an artistic offering during the COVID-19 crisis.
Mermaid Promenade
BEST Festival Nominee!
BEST Festival Winner!
Boston Magazine named the Cambridge Arts River Festival the Best Festival of 2017 and then again in 2018: "This annual extravaganza isn’t just about seeing contemporary work—it’s about immersing yourself in it. Along with musical, dance, and theater acts, you’ll find a poetry tent, huge wild-animal puppets, and beatbox workshops. In other words, sweet, sweet sensory overload."
The City of Cambridge does not discriminate on the basis of disability. The City may provide auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures to qualified individuals with disabilities. For information contact Cambridge Arts: Phone: 617-349-4380, TDD: 617-349-4621
