Ipswich Illumination celebrates beauty & community with bonfires, dance, open-air art market, projections, poetry, live music & more
Ipswich, MA – September 2022 The Town of Ipswich in partnership with Creative County Initiative (CCI) are proud to present Ipswich Illumination 2022, a celebration of beauty and community. Illumination, now in its 13th year, features a collection of art installations, live music, bonfires, poetry, projection and more along the Ipswich River the weekend of
October 14-16, 2022.
Festivities start Friday, October 14th “A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood” will be screened 7pm under-the-stars at Take-Out Terrace, downtown Ipswich.
Saturday attendees can explore Depth Of Field at Ipswich Town Hall Athletic Fields from 1-7pm. Depth of Field is an outdoor event with two stages for live music, an open-air art-market showcasing artists from across Essex County and a space dedicated to community resources and wellness offerings. Depth Of Field is produced by Three Phase Productions in partnership with CCI whose mission is to invest in collaborative public art projects that encourage partnerships between the arts, municipalities, business and philanthropic sectors.
Saturday night from 6 to 9pm attendees are invited to explore an adventure in art and sound through town. The Ipswich River becomes a backdrop for bonfires, live music, art, interactive installations, dance parties, poetry, projection and more. Weaving the locations together you’ll
find an illuminated path through town connecting people to public points along the Ipswich River. Bonfires will be lit at the footbridge near Take Out Terrace. Find more on the open water along County Street and follow them down the Shurcliff Path to the Green Street Bridge where you’ll find a Rave Dance Party.
A do-not-miss Saturday night event this year will be two immersive art installations from Cognitive Laboratory of Environment and Arts Research (CLEAR). CLEAR is brought to Illumination by our friends at the Ipswich River Watershed Association (IRWA) and partially funded by the generosity of New England Biolabs Foundation. Their installations feature video projections of the extraordinary migration of river herring, whose population is being monitored and restored IRWA. CLEAR is a collaboration between Northeastern University and Fashion Institute of Technology whose goal is to foster mechanisms that promote the idea that humans are one with nature, and not separate, even in urban environments.
Sunday, October 16th rounds-out Illumination weekend presenting poets at 1pm followed by Tom Palance’s Big Band, The Marsh Hoppers! Kick-up your heels with North Shore Swing Dancers for an outdoor late afternoon at the Take Out Terrace.
Admission is free, pay as you go for food and drinks.
Learn more about our collaborators:
Essex County Community Foundation * Creative County Initiative – CLEAR * Ipswich River Watershed Association * New England Biolabs Foundation Three Phase Productions