Redmond revelers of all ages are invited to participate in a festive springtime confection on May 3.
Redmond’s first-ever Community Cake Picnic will give attendees the chance to showcase some fancy footwork while dancing around the Maypole with the Rabbits of Spring or join their friends and neighbors for the Promenade of the Golden Eggs. “Recipe for Love,” presented by the City of Redmond and Seattle-based artist Lucia Neare, will offer attendees a bevy of springtime delights designed to entertain the senses.
“Fantastical, whimsical, evocative – these are just a few words bubbling to the surface from those involved with the project,” said Joshua Heim, Redmond’s arts administrator. “The inspiration for the event was sparked by a desire to break from tradition and attempt something a bit more artistically bold in the spirit of springtime. We wanted to create something fresh that would encourage the idea of a community celebrating together.”
Enter Neare, Redmond’s artist in residence and the project’s creative engine.
“She is a rare, thoughtful artist who has figured out how to beautifully bring classical artistry and community together — and do both well,” said Heim. “That’s not an easy thing to do, but she has a strong vision and voice.”
For Neare, it’s all about assembling an immersive multi-sensory artistic experience – not just a spectator event.
“I wanted to create something that is inclusive, celebratory — an event that allows participants to be swept into the action and become part of the show,” she said. “I’m really interested, as an artist, in fostering connections to the public sphere and cultivating creative possibility in Redmond. To me, that’s what resonates.”
This type of engagement echoes Redmond Mayor John Marchione’s desire to cultivate impactful opportunities for citywide community interaction.
“‘Recipe for Love’ represents a bold stride forward in cultivating and building our city’s arts and culture,” he said. “It’s also a unique, family friendly opportunity for the public to celebrate, together, the spirit of community.”
Neare believes the local culture is ripe with artistic potential and that the project weaves the first colorful thread in a vibrant, vital tapestry of original, imaginative programming for the city.
“To me, Redmond has the ingredients to become an arts center in the Northwest,” she said. “There are a lot of smart, inspired, engaged people here and it’s a huge multi-cultural community with rich cultural traditions existing side by side. It’s really beautiful and that’s how to not only build a creative community, but also how to foster the next generation of imaginative thinkers and doers.”
“Recipe for Love” activities get underway May 3 at 4 p.m. on City Hall’s Great Lawn at 15670 N.E. 85th St.For more event details, visit lucianeare.org.
