YARN n YOGA celebrates, remembers Euclid Beach Pier
And another one bites the dust.
Since 1895 the Euclid Beach Pier has withstood the wrath of Lake Erie in Cleveland’s North Collinwood neighborhood, but this Fall the wrath of the wrecking ball it shall meet.
Cleveland Metroparks has great plans for the lakefront property, including a new and improved fishing pier, but for those who lived and loved on this historic pier - especially in the heyday of the amusement park - this is a major loss.
Bid farewell to the century old Euclid Beach Pier on Friday, July 25th from 6-9pm during Cleveland’s first large-scale yarn storm and free sunset yoga and meditation session on the beach led by Blissful Cleveland.
YARN n YOGA is a community-made, community-installed, and community-supported public art project organized by North Shore Collinwood resident, Ali Lukacsy. For those not familiar, yarn bombing is a fun, bright, beautiful way to celebrate public space. Unlike graffiti, yarn bombing is done without any damage to historic structures or the natural landscape, is temporary, and easily removable.
Thanks to the generous support of the Cleveland Metroparks, Cleveland Lakefront Conservancy, Waterloo Arts, Praxis Fiber Workshop, and our event partner, the Euclid Beach Blast, we are able to offer this free event to everyone and anyone interested in taking part in the process of saying goodbye.
Here is how you can get involved:
DONATE: Visit Kickstarter where we are raising funds through July 1, 2014 to support 26 community artists who are creating beautiful knit installations for the pier. A pledge of $1 makes a difference, with incentive levels beginning at $13.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/1561180159/yarn-n-yoga
DONATE YARN: If your spring cleaning turned up baskets of acrylic or polyester yarn, we’d love to take those off your hands. Donations will be accepted at the Waterloo Arts Fest and through mid-July. Contact Ali at ali.alithearchitect@gmail.com to arrange pick-up/drop-off.
ATTEND: Make your participation known by joining the event on Facebook. Search “YARN n YOGA” and select “Join”. The event takes place at Euclid Beach Park on the pier and in the old fountain, located directly across from the Collinwood Recreation Center. Learn about the Critical Mass bike ride from Downtown to the Beach, local vendors, and other activities taking place in the Park that evening.
PARTICIPATE: No knitting or crocheting skill will be necessary to yarn storm or practice the free vinyasa flow and meditation at sunset on July 25th. Bring a yoga mat and/or towel and a story or memory of the pier to share with Euclid Beach Park Now.
The yarn storm installation will continue during the Euclid Beach Blast! (Saturday, August 2nd, 4:30-8:30pm) and will be on view through August 7th when the knit panels will be relocated to be included in an exhibition, YARN n YEARS - a Collinwood Rising Vibrancy Grant Project supported by Northeast Shores, The Kresge Foundation, and Cuyahoga Arts & Culture - to open in the Waterloo Arts District on October 3rd.
YARN n YOGA on Friday, July 25th from 6-9pm may be the last and best memory of the Euclid Beach Pier, so please do help us make it great!
Together we can knit strong, vibrant communities!
Allison Lukacsy
Allison is a North Collinwood resident, artist, and neighborhood cheerleader curating community-led, interactive art installations throughout Cleveland. Her passion is upcycling and architecture, and Cleveland's vast stock of underutilized space is the perfect canvas for her design work.