The annual Honey for the Heart parade, a project of Passion Works Studio, is a fun and memorable event for the entire community.
Each year, the studio collaborates with the community to build giant puppets and colorful costumes while adding even more artistic wonder to Athens Halloween.
Learning Community Programs at Ohio University and Arts for OHIO are two original sponsors who have supported this program from the beginning,
At Ohio University, there are 132 Learning Community sections signed up to engage at the Honey for the Heart Art Studio this fall. Last year more than 1,600 first-year OHIO students participated. The students typically walk down to the Central Venue studio during the regular class time. Past Learning Community students have identified this as one of their highlights of the year.
Patty Mitchell, executive director of Passion Works Studio and co-founder of Honey for the Heart, shared that the name “Honey for the Heart” was a quote from Chilean Visiting Artist Dani Negi, "Athens is like Honey for my Heart."
“We wanted to encourage collaboration, creativity and investigation tapping into our collective abilities and talents of our community,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell also shared that Nelsonville-York High School woodshop students and their instructor Josh Woodburn have been participating with the build for three years.
This year, Passion Works received a grant from the Athens County Foundation. The grant is supporting Project Coordinator Dave Lawerence to lead experimentation and pattern making for the October puppet pop up residency. The patterns were shared with the woodshop class and they have cut out multiple geese, turtles and other animals for the community to papier mache and paint.
Lawrence meets classes as they come into the studio and provides the framework for their time there.
“With Pond Party as our theme this year, we're exploring how to celebrate our local flora and fauna. It's been so much fun making giant turtles, fish and waterfowl species that we see all around us in this beautiful corner of Ohio," Lawrence said. "Honey for the Heart really brings us all together to beautify the streets of uptown Athens.”
The Honey for the Heart studio is located at the Central Venue, 29 E Carpenter Street
The Honey for the Heart Parade will be held on Saturday, Oct. 31, beginning at 5 pm. Everyone is welcome to march in the parade.
Those who want to march should arrive at 4 p.m. to go into the art studio and find a costume. Honey for the Heart will be marching onto Court Street, down to Union Street and returning to Central Venue.
