CIRCUS OF LIFE

Join us for the inaugural Counterpublic Convening, a free festival bringing together leading artists, thinkers, and advocates to imagine new ways of being in the world together. Organized by New York-based writer and curator Laura Raicovich, alongside Ringleaders Kenneth Bailey, Galen Gritts, Nontsikelelo Mutiti, and Jeanne van Heeswijk, CIRCUS OF LIFE cultivates connections and shared experiences during a time when locating what we hold in common is urgent and necessary. Hosted in the Grand Center Arts District at the Big Top, an iconic circus tent, and the new Counterpublic House, the program expands imaginations and engages participants through joy, delight, and creative expression.

Inspired by the richness of circus entertainment and artists’ ability to expand society’s imagination, CIRCUS OF LIFE will bring a variety of such experiences to the public. Artists, advocates, and cultural leaders will present ideas and performances, share conversations, pose questions, and host booths of fun and exchange for all to make meaning together. Organized in five distinct Acts, each with its own theme, the Big Top will host a combination of live performance, song, discussion, and a variety of entertainment and spectacle. Surrounding the Big Top will be booths and tables by artists and collaborators presenting activities and games, alongside mystical and educational experiences. Workshops will unfold over the course of the weekend, offering ways to engage in-depth in hands-on activities and discussions.

Keynotes include poet Marc Bamuthi Joseph, the radical Bread & Puppet Theater, co-host of Democracy Now! Nermeen Shaikh, cultural critic Roxane Gay, and musicians Ali Sethi and Nicolás Jaar.

Enlivening the inherent relationship between art and daily life, CIRCUS OF LIFE is an adventure of your choosing, where pleasure meets rowdiness, joy meets skepticism, indulgence meets experimentation.

All are welcome.

CIRCUS OF LIFE identity and set design by Nontsikelelo Mutiti and Andrew Sloat.

Kick-off the CIRCUS OF LIFE with a celebratory parade and performance with Bread & Puppet Theater and poet and cultural leader, Marc Bamuthi Joseph. Circus grounds open with artist booths by Finnegan Shannon, Hilma’s Ghost, Tania El Khoury, Kameelah Janan Rasheed, Lauren Bon, Bread & Roses Missouri, Galen Gritts, NEU ER WORLD, and more.

A full day of talks, conversations, and performances by Chloë Bass, Rashida Bumbray, Roxane Gay, Sarah Kendzior, Larry Krone with special guests, Brontez Purnell, Ali Sethi and Nicolás Jaar, Nermeen Shaikh, and more. Workshops include Kenneth Bailey, Hilma’s Ghost, Prem Krishnamurthy and Sam Rauch from the Department of Transformation, and Circus Harmony. Gather community resources from local advocacy and non-profit organizations. Artist booths continue to be open all day.

Close out the weekend with a gathering and shared meal organized by artist Jeanne van Heeswijk at the Counterpublic House. In partnership with Joia Walker, EarthDance Farms and other St. Louis-based organizations, we’ll celebrate collectivity and the rich community that was formed over the weekend. Presentations by St. Louis-based artists include NEU ER WORLD, Molly Pearson, Kendrick Smith Quartet and others. Registration for Sunday’s program will open later this summer.