Latest news with #EarthtoSpace:ArtsBreakingtheSky
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lunar Quilts capture crafters, astronaut's take on return to the moon
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The future of lunar exploration never looked more colorful ... or so square. "The Next Giant Leap," a pair of mostly moon-themed fabric quilts, debuted this week at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. "A Tapestry of Collaboration" is a collection of cloth blocks from crafters in the 50 U.S. states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, while "New Horizon" was sewn together from 62 student submissions. Former NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg, who was the first person to quilt while in space in 2013, launched the Lunar Quilt Block Challenge that led to both blankets' creation. She also added original works of her own to each. "I'm really excited this came together," said Nyberg in a call with The two lunar quilts are presented side by side in the Hall of States as part of the Kennedy Center's "Earth to Space: Arts Breaking the Sky" festival. Now underway, the exhibition is included in a full slate of talks, dance and music performances that examine how "the arts can stimulate fresh thinking" about space exploration and the challenges that confront us on Earth. Related: First quilter in space challenges students, crafters to stitch the moon "Both quilts came out so beautiful," said Alicia Adams, co-curator of the Earth to Space festival and vice president for international programming at the Kennedy Center. "We are so glad they were included." Among the individual squares that form the quilts are depictions of bootprints in the lunar soil; silhouettes of the Greek goddess Artemis, the sister of Apollo and namesake of NASA's current program to return astronauts to the moon; and representations of Earth, as where we come from, and Mars, as where we are ultimately headed. "I wanted to make a rocket launching off Earth because when I saw the Artemis 1 launch, it was really beautiful," wrote Annalise Grasmuck of California, one of the students who contributed to "The Next Giant Leap" quilt, in the description submitted with her square. "My grandma helped me make my quilt block. Which makes it more special because she watched Michael Culling [sic; Collins], Buzz Aldrin, and Neil Armstrong make the first successful moon landing when she was my age. I am excited to watch new astronauts land on the moon again." Dana Altman, whose contribution represents Indiana in the "Collaboration" quilt, was inspired by her daughter's cat, which she depicts wearing a bubble helmet. "Ghost, our fearless and beloved cat, symbolizes the spirit of exploration. Cats are natural adventurers, inquisitive and independent, just like the astronauts who will venture into space to explore the lunar surface and beyond," wrote Altman about her submission. "Ghost's ability to fearlessly explore his environment mirrors the human spirit of discovery. His quiet yet powerful presence reminds us that exploration isn't just about bold steps but also the quiet curiosity and determination that drive us forward." Nyberg's instruction to all who entered the challenge was to create a design that represented what space exploration and returning to the moon meant to them. Once all of the submissions were received, the judges (including Nyberg; Bonnie Schrock, executive director of the National Quilt Museum in Kentucky; and Donna Shafer, associate director of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston) assigned scores to each to determine which squares would make it into the final quilts. "Everybody had their own little take on it, and so it was really hard to pick the winners," said Nyberg. "There were in total some 400 submissions, including 70 or so from students or school teams." For her own part, Nyberg contributed an appliqué art of the moon and Earth, which forms the lower right corner of the students' quilt and then, in a similar style to her moon pattern, created the border surrounding "A Tapestry of Collaboration." "I tried to design both of my submissions so they match each other," Nyberg said. Related: NASA's Artemis program: Everything you need to know Related stories: — Astronaut's sewn-in-space star shines at quilt festival — Astronaut sews starry quilt square in space (video) — Space photos by astronaut Karen Nyberg (image gallery) Her border for the second quilt included inspirational phrases related to the pursuit of exploration, such as "Dare mighty things," "From imagination to reality" and "Together, we achieve greatness." That last one in particular echoes the Kennedy Center's goal to bring people together through the presentation of art. "A quilt is made up of a lot of small pieces," said Nyberg. "You can look close up to see each block, and each is a piece of art on its own. Then you can step back and look at what it becomes when all of those pieces come together. It is a very beautiful thing. I think that collaboration on all levels, and especially internationally, is extremely important." "The Next Giant Leap: Lunar Quilts," as well as Karen Nyberg's separate mosaics celebrating women in space history, are at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. during the Earth to Space festival through April 13, 2025. Follow on Facebook and on X at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
Forbes
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Mark Morris Choreographs Our Fascination With The Moon In World Premiere
Choreographer Mark Morris guides dancers through a rehearsal for his new piece "Moon," which ... More explores our lunar fascination. For as long as humans have stared at the night sky, the moon has been a source of wonder, myth and inspiration. Acclaimed choreographer Mark Morris has turned that fascination into movement with a new dance piece that explores why Earth's luminous satellite has such an enduring pull on our collective imagination. Appropriately titled Moon, the work gets its world premiere on Friday at New York's Kennedy Center, a venue that has seen its share of earthly drama since President Trump installed himself as chairman in February. The center commissioned the dance piece for Earth to Space: Arts Breaking the Sky, its three-week festival of performances, exhibits and programs to celebrate space and the arts. The event began on March 28 and runs through April 20, aligning actors, astronauts, dancers, musicians, astronomers, engineers, poets and others to ponder the cosmos. 'The moon is credited with time and tide, fertility, power and romance,' Morris said in an email interview. 'The desire to touch the moon and know about it has always driven us, as has the compulsion to make contact with potential beings on other heavenly bodies.' That deep sense of curiosity infuses 'Moon,' as dancers spin, soar, transform into star-like formations and extend their arms and gazes upward as if asking the universe what mysteries it holds. In addition to creating over 150 works for the Mark Morris Dance Group, which he formed in 1980, Morris conducts orchestras, directs opera and choreographs for ballet companies worldwide. When creating the 60-minute piece on the silver sphere, he drew inspiration from a variety of audio, visual and textual sources. He listened to what he called 'endless songs about the moon.' He studied images from NASA, the National Air and Space Museum and the Library of Congress. He watched the 1955 Disneyland cartoon 'Man on the Moon,' which explores humans' captivation with the moon through animation, and viewed Stanley Kubrick's iconic 1968 sci-fi film 2001: A Space Odyssey. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder He read Oscar Wilde's one-act tragedy 'Salome,' which presents the moon as a powerful female symbol. And he returned to W.H. Auden's poem 'Moon Landing,' in which, as The Paris Review notes, the poet appears 'untouched by the sublime romance of the moon mission.' The choreographer also looked to the famed Golden Record aboard Voyager in 1977. The 12-inch gold-plated copper disk contained images and sounds selected to give extraterrestrials who might find it a view of life and culture on Earth. 'It's a perfect example of our curiosity and enormous ego,' Morris said. Dancers twirl and fly in choreographer Mark Morris' "Moon," getting its world premiere at the ... More Kennedy Center this weekend. For Morris, the moon isn't just a celestial body with a cratered, rocky surface, but a symbol of human vision and yearning. 'I'm not doing a Ken Burns special. I'm interested in how the moon came to be our fall-in-love token, and the mystery and glamour of it,' said Morris, who The New York Times has hailed as 'the most successful and influential choreographer alive, and indisputably the most musical.' He hopes the piece will spark marvel in viewers — for the moon, and far beyond. 'All I want from an audience is for them to pay attention, turn off their phones, listen and watch. That's already a big ask,' he said. 'I have no agenda and no lesson to teach. I'd [like] people to talk about the show to one another with imagination, curiosity and bravery.' Other offerings at the Earth to Space: Arts Breaking the Sky festival include showings of The Moonwalkers, an immersive film co-written and narrated by Tom Hanks that projects the stories of the Apollo missions in 360 degrees. Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield — who famously bid farewell to the International Space Station with a rendition of David Bowie's 'Space Oddity' performed from orbit — will be among the musicians performing. And an exhibit from international architecture firm Foster + Partners explores, through scale models, 3D-printed structures and immersive film, how designs for the moon and Mars can inspire sustainable solutions on Earth. 'It is our conviction that insights into the marvels of the universe can inspire action to protect our own planet,' The Kennedy Center said, 'and that the arts can stimulate fresh thinking about the challenges that confront us.'
