Schools, Community and York University to parade, perform, dance during Community Life Cycles Celebration of Birth and Death in Nature and Culture

TORONTO, March 19, 1999 -- Exploring our relationship to the environment takes centre stage at the Community Life Cycles Celebration on Sunday, March 21, from noon to 5 p.m. The afternoon event at the DeLeon White Gallery, 455 King St. at Spadina, will bring York University students, staff and faculty together with local schools and community organizations for a celebration and exploration of the environment through art.

This year's theme, Birth and Death in Nature and Culture, will be explored through dance and spoken word performances, live music, premiere screenings of independent video productions and a visual art show. Child and adults will have the opportunity to participate in a range of activities, including a neighbourhood parade of masked figures and fantasy animals that will close the celebration.

Festival organizer and Faculty of Environmental Studies student Sheelagh Davis believes the partnership between community groups, schools and York University makes for a very special event.

"The Festival is about encouraging a greater awareness of environmental issues. Using art as a way of expressing and learning about our environment allows everyone to get involved in the way that can best express their own feelings and beliefs," says Davis. "We hope the Festival will help expand our understanding and build toward an appreciation of many ways of expressing passion for the environment."

The Community Life Cycles Celebration is part of the 1999 Eco Art and Media Festival, an annual event which has been running for five years. It is co- sponsored by Ecotecture and the Faculties of Environmental Studies, Fine Arts and Education at York University.

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For more information, please contact:

Quade Hermann
Faculty of Environmental Studies
York University
(416) 736-5252 or (416) 654-2819
YU/026/99