“Día Del Niño”/“Day of the Child” Arts Festival in Birch Park set for 4/28

City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County Community Alert: “Día Del Niño”/“Day of the Child” – Arts Festival in Birch Park, Santa Ana on April 28th, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Contact (in English): Pat Wayne, Arts Orange County: 714-556-5160, x12
Contact (en Español): Sara Guerrero, Arts Orange County: 714-785-0764

SANTA ANA, CA (April 9, 2013) – Arts Orange County (Arts OC) and El Centro Cultural de Mexico will present “Día Del Niño”/“Day of the Child”, a featured event as part of Arts OC’s 28th Annual Imagination Celebration, a month–long county-wide festival of arts for families and children.

“Día Del Niño”/“Day of the Child”, a traditional Mexican holiday recognizes children, celebrates a child’s importance in society, and promotes their well–being. The day-long festival will take place Sunday, April 28, 2012 at Birch Park/Senior Center in Downtown Santa Ana.

As part of Imagination Celebration, Día Del Niño will bring free arts experiences for children and families including participatory art-making experiences for all ages regardless of skill level. On stage will be staged performances by professional artists, local arts organizations, schools, and community artists. All are welcome to picnic in designated areas of the park. For a detailed listing of events, go to www.SparkOC.com

About the Performances and Workshops

“Día Del Niño”/“Day of the Child” is an exciting collaboration with our presenting partner, El Centro, the City of Santa Ana, the Santa Ana Unified School District, and the Birch Park Senior Center. We are excited to be able to present this day long mini-festival as part of Imagination Celebration with the critical support of the James Irvine Foundation”, said Pat Wayne, Arts OC’s Deputy Director. “The festival also provides an opportunity for many organizations to jointly raise awareness of the importance of the arts and creativity in a child’s life.”

Some of the organizations presenting performances and workshops include: Atabey, Barrio Writers, Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble, ClownMa dell’Arte, Cynthia Santos-DeCure, Danza Folklorico Puro Corazon, El Sol Academy of Science and Arts, Elemental Xpression, Grupo de Salsa – Centro Cultural de Mexico, Grupo Infantil – Danza Regional Mexicana, Mario Cuen, Martin Espino, Latino Health Access, Orange County Dream Team, Orange County School of the Arts, Orange County Educational Arts Academy, Orange County Therapeutic Arts Center, Pacific Symphony, PBS SoCal, Relampago del Cielo, Rogue Artists Ensemble, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Son del Centro, Southern California Artists, The Art Cart, The Birch Senior Center Acting Troupe, The Bowers Kidseum, The Grain Project, Tomas Tamayo Dance, United Artists of Santa Ana, Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association, and Workshop for Community Arts.

The event will also include a CHILDREN’S BUTTERFLY MARCH beginning @ 10 a.m. at THE SANTA ANA PLAZA, at 321 E Fourth Street near Fourth & French St. All are welcome to join in the colorful butterfly march of music, song & celebration; guided through the downtown of Santa Ana to end at DÍA DEL NIÑO in Birch Park.

Major Sponsors

This event is made possible through a grant from The James Irvine Foundation. Additional Sponsorship has been provided by the City of Santa Ana, The Parks and Recreation Department of the City of Santa Ana, the Senior Center of Birch Park. Major sponsors for the 2013 Imagination Celebration include Title Sponsors Arts Orange County and The Orange County Department of Education, with additional major support from Mary and Phil Lyons, The James Irvine Foundation, The Crean Foundation, Richard and Elizabeth Steele Fund. The Orange County Register and PBS-SoCal provide media sponsorship.

About Arts Orange County

Arts Orange County’s mission is to build appreciation, participation and support for the arts and arts education throughout the county. The organization was established in 1995 as a nonprofit countywide arts council. It is the state-local partner with the California Arts Council and is the official local arts agency of the County of Orange. Arts Orange County serves as a resource and advocate for the arts community, as a catalyst for leadership on arts issues, and as a sponsor of programs and services which enhance public awareness of arts activities and promotes the development of the arts and arts education in Orange County. Besides the Imagination Celebration, Arts OC’s flagship programs include the annual Orange County Arts Awards and SparkOC.com, the comprehensive arts & cultural events website begun in November 2008.

EL CENTRO CULTURAL DE MEXICO is an alternative space in Santa Ana where the community can find cultural, educational, and artistic activities that strengthen their identities, develop their talents and develop a sense of leadership in their community. By engaging Orange County residents and communities through community outreach efforts, it supports inter and intra-cultural interaction and dialogue among Orange County’s residents by creating a variety of programs which enables all people to explore their own heritage and culture. Through educational programming, which includes workshops in dance, music, art, and literacy, it promotes understanding and appreciation of the contributions of the many cultures in our region by sharing knowledge of Mexico’s rich cultural, and educational, and social legacy.

It seeks to be at the forefront of creating a strong ideological and cultural bridge to support bringing together a variety of cultural projects from Mexico and other parts of Mexico, Central and South America.

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