Woodruff Arts Center to Launch CREATE ATL

The Woodruff Arts Center announces the launch of CREATE ATL, Family Fun at The Woodruff Arts Center, beginning June 7. The three-year family initiative is designed to provide families greater access to the Arts Center's core art and arts education programming every Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

Family-oriented programming led by the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and High Museum of Art will feature various free activities starting at 1 p.m. every Sunday beginning June 7, including family festivals, art-making activities, interactive musical story times, composers-in-training sessions, instrument making, drop-in acting classes and more. In addition, families will have the opportunity to experience world-class productions and exhibitions at the Arts Center.

"The Woodruff Arts Center is excited to provide this amazing family programming to the Atlanta community every Sunday. It is free to the public and will allow us to host families who come here often, families who are occasional visitors, and families who may not have otherwise been able to experience world-class art," said Janine Musholt, Vice President of Advancement for The Woodruff Arts Center. "The Woodruff is proud to be Georgia's largest arts educator, but our aspiration is to become one of the state's premier destinations for families. Thanks to the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation gift, I think we will become that and more."

The Tony Award-winning Alliance Theatre will present various performances this summer including Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical, based on the beloved children's book by Mo Willems, May 27 - June 28; Blub, Blub, an under-water playscape for children up to 24 months old, June 6 - Aug. 2; and The Lizard & El Sol for children 18 months to 5 years old on June 14. For more information about each of these performances, visit www.alliancetheatre.org.

The Alliance Theatre production of Knuffle Bunny is presented in conjunction with the High Museum of Art exhibition Seriously Silly! The art & whimsy of Mo Willems, a retrospective of illustrations by the best-selling children's book artist and author, which will be on display from May 23, 2015 through Jan. 10, 2016. This collaboration marks the first time the High and the Alliance Theatre will present concurrent visual and performing art presentations of an artist's work. Seriously Silly features more than 100 works by the artist-from preliminary drawings to completed illustrations-that chronicle the past 12 years of Willems' whimsical world, populated by his beloved characters Knuffle Bunny, Elephant and Piggie, The Pigeon, and many more. To purchase tickets, visit www.high.org.

In addition to producing Sunday family fun programming on a weekly basis, The Woodruff Arts Center will present four large-scale Sunday festivals, the first one taking place on June 14, 2015. On this date, the Arts Center's campus will be activated with three performances by the Alliance Theatre (Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical; Blub, Blub; and The Lizard & El Sol); free admission to the High, including access to the exhibition Seriously Silly! The art & whimsy of Mo Willems and a meet-and-greet with the beloved characters Elephant and Piggie; free art-making activities on the Piazza inspired by the High's interactive installation Los Trompos; an instrument petting zoo; interactive musical story time; music and movement workshops; and much more!

During its 2015-2016 season, the Grammy Award-winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will present many Music for the Very Young performances, which will give children the chance to experience music by the ASO's world-class musicians in an intimate and accessible setting designed with children's cognitive development in mind. Tickets for the Music for the Very Young performances will soon be available at www.aso.org.

For more information about each Sunday's activities, visit www.WoodruffCreateAtl.org.

CREATE ATL is sponsored by a $6.6 million dollar grant by the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation, which is part of the family of foundations that also includes the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation. The Lettie Pate Evans Foundation is an independent private foundation that invests primarily in education, arts and culture.

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