Eureka’s first Culture Commons Festival will turn parts of the city into stages, classrooms and gathering places for three days beginning Sept. 25.
The free festival will bring music, dance, films, crafts and storytelling to venues across downtown, Old Town and the waterfront. Workshops and a puppet parade will also give visitors opportunities to participate instead of simply watching.
Matthew Morassutti, director of the Eureka Cultural Arts District, said the festival is meant to reflect the range of artists and cultures found in Humboldt County, including communities whose stories have often been absent from public displays.
“We’re encouraging people to not just be a spectator, not just show up and watch a show, but participate in a workshop,” he said.
The Culture Commons Festival runs Sept. 25-27. Most events are within a few blocks of the Old Town Gazebo in Eureka, though the schedule also includes activities at waterfront venues and Blue Ox Millworks.
Saturday’s programming begins with a dockside market at 9 a.m. and performances at 10 a.m. at Madaket Plaza. The lineup includes taiko drumming, capoeira, West African dance and Aztec dance.
At 2 p.m., puppeteers will lead a parade from the waterfront to the Old Town Gazebo. Hand puppets will be available for people who want to join in.
Morassutti said Humboldt County may be best known to outsiders for its redwoods and coastline, while its creative community receives less attention.
“There’s constantly something going on,” he said. “There’s so many events happening every weekend.”
The festival grew out of Eureka’s designation as one of California’s inaugural cultural districts in 2017. The district is a partnership among the Wiyot Tribe, Ink People Center for the Arts and Culture, Eureka Main Street and the city of Eureka.
Stories missing from Eureka’s waterfront
One festival event will introduce visitors to Stories of Wigi, a community storytelling project focused on Humboldt Bay and developed in collaboration with the Wiyot Tribe.
Morassutti said most existing waterfront signs focus on industry, natural history and environmental restoration. Stories of Wigi is collecting accounts from people whose experiences are less visible there, including Indigenous residents, people with disabilities, people in recovery and people who have experienced homelessness.
The project has collected more than 50 oral histories, ecological accounts and poems, Morassutti said. Organizers plan to share the work through a book, four permanent interpretive signs, an online archive and a listening booth at the visitor center.
Several contributors are scheduled to share their work Sunday. The festival will end that evening with film, music and dance events.
The festival lasts one weekend, but Stories of Wigi is intended to give more of Humboldt Bay’s communities a lasting presence along Eureka’s waterfront.
Guest
- Matthew Morassutti, director of the Eureka Cultural Arts District and project manager for Stories of Wigi
