Artpark's Strawberry Moon Festival heads to Mainstage Theater

UPDATE: With the anticipated rain expected for Saturday, June 29, the Strawberry Moon Festival has been moved to inside the Artpark Mainstage Theater, and the time has been revised to 3-9 p.m.

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Artpark & Company Press Release

As part of Artpark’s 50th anniversary season, we are honored to celebrate the cultural heritage, storytelling, and the interconnectedness of all beings at The Strawberry Moon Festival on Saturday, June 29.

Kicking off the festival will be a wide variety of free interactive programs located in Artpark’s lower park section (South Fourth Street entrance). These programs celebrate diverse and expressive Indigenous cultures through the arts with over 30 vendors. Engage in a day filled with food sampling, storytelling, interactive lacrosse workshops with Gary and Avery Parker, music presentations, concerts, an Indigenous Discovery Zone, wampum belt teachings with Richard Hammell, workshops, Earth/Sun/Strawberry Moon connection with Dr. Warren S. Marcus from NASA, plus wonderful displays throughout the lower park.

The ever-popular and mesmerizing smoke dance competition has been expanded this year to include the Tiny Tots along with the youth 13-17 division and adults divisions. Visitors can also discover unique gifts from over 30 Indigenous artisans and food vendors. Admission to this festival is free.

Featured music performers throughout the day include Leah Shenandoah, Robert “Freightrain” Parker, Tonemah, and Genevieve Gros-Louis.

Amidst the beauty of nature and the richness of cultural expression, the evening will close with a special performance of “Gifted by Creator: A Musical Journey of Interconnectedness and Responsibility" to ignite the rich tapestry of creation narratives, honoring all our relations that bind us all.

Seneca Resorts and Casinos, The Consulate General of Canada in New York and the diversity, equity and inclusion department of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center are supporting sponsors of this year's Strawberry Moon Festival. 

More on Geneviève Gros-Louis

A celebrated film composer, violinist and producer hailing from the Huron-Wendat Nation, Gros-Louis fearlessly tackles topics like mental health, women's issues, and the challenges confronting Indigenous communities. Her art resonates globally.

With her captivating original compositions, Gros-Louis weaves narratives through interdisciplinary arts, showcased in esteemed museums worldwide.

Notable recent appearances include performances at the Cannes Film Festival, Paris Fashion Week and Sante Fe Indian Market. Her latest film score can be experienced in National Geographic's "Life Below Zero: First Alaskans," now available for streaming on Disney+, Hulu and NatGeoTV.

More on Leah Shenandoah

Shenandoah, M.F.A, B.S., a Wolf Clan member of the Onyo’ta:aká: – Oneida Nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, is an indigenous scholar, artist, activist and musician currently enrolled as an apparel design Ph.D. candidate at Cornell University. She combines indigenous methodologies, material culture and activism to create a space of protection, comfort and healing through her work.

Shenandoah’s original compositions have received national and regional recognition. Her debut album, “Spectra,” with producer JJ Boogie from Arrested Development, received a Native American Music Award for Best Debut Album and Best Alternative Album from the Syracuse Area Music Awards.

More on Robert ‘Freightrain’ Parker 

Buffalo funk, soul, blues and roots American songwriter and recording artist “Freightrain” Parker is a multiple award-winning Hall of Fame inductee, whose Indigenous heritage (Seneca) infuses sensibility and intense passion in the messages he delivers, through his masterful musical landscapes.

A sound that is a unique and recognizable, Parker’s signature style is captivating and undeniably infectious. He is recognized as one of the absolute best bassists in Western New York, and was awarded the coveted Best Blues Album award in Canada in 2018.

Parker is an internationally recognized performer who was inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame in 2015, being the first Indigenous inductee since the inception of the hall in 1983.

The super-tight “Freightrain” band features accomplished musicians’ who contribute to one of the most talented musical collectives in the northern US.

More on Tonemah

Award-winning musician Tonemah is Kiowa, Comanche and Tuscarora. He has recorded 10 award-winning albums, which include his well-known hits single “Pow Wow Snag” and “Rezzylicious.” His songs are filled with thought-provoking metaphors, and are sharp with emotion and humor that makes his music easy to relate to.

Tonemah has won and been nominated numerous times for Best Folk Recording and Best Male Artist, Songwriter of the Year, Artist of the Year AND Best Rock Album by the Native American Music Awards, Indian Summer Music Awards and First Americans in the Arts, and for Best International Artist by the Aboriginal People’s Choice Awards.

He has also appeared in theater, several films and television shows, including “Nashville,” “Sliver of a full moon” and “The Cherokee Word for Water.” He also wrote a book called “Spray your swamp cooler.”

More on ‘Gifted by Creator’

“Gifted by Creator: A Musical Journey of Interconnectedness and Responsibility" ignites the soul with its captivating musical performance, curated by Artpark’s Indigenous producer, Michele-Elise Burnett. It will propel audiences on an immersive experience through Indigenous ways of knowing.

Rooted in the harmony and balance of Creator's original instructions, we honor the profound teachings passed down from our ancestors. With reverence, we embrace our sacred responsibility to share our gifts for the enduring well-being of the next seven generations.

Celebrated composer Gros-Louis, renowned for her transformative scores across film, television and theater, graces the stage to share her new compositions live. Accompanied by traditional singers, dancers and a visual scape of our ancestors juxtaposed with the modern day, the fusion of contemporary and traditional genres unfolds into a breathtaking tapestry of sound and theatrics. Each note, each movement, resonates with the power to stir hearts and minds, embarking participants in a profound and deeply impactful journey of interconnectedness and responsibility.

Also featuring a collaboration of Haudenosaunee singers and dancers Tonemah, Shenandoah, Jordan Smith, Arrianna Smith, Violet Printup Richard and Artwork by Kyle Joedicke (Cayuga Nation, Turtle Clan)

Artpark has made a commitment to Indigenous arts programming and awareness with a full season of Indigenous programs built for and by our local Indigenous community. Our programming, conceived and curated by Burnett (Métis/Algonquin, Bear Clan) serves residents from the Indigenous community in Lewiston, Youngstown, and beyond, as well as non-Native persons who are interested in learning more about the culture and traditions.

Visit artpark.net for more information.