Carnival Arts is an arts learning program for youth living in crisis shelters across the state of Florida. Since 2007, Carnival Arts has introduced more than 1000 young people to dance, drum and mask-making traditions from carnivals from around the world, led by more than 75 professional artists in these traditions and assisted by more than 300 students from Barry University. I spoke with Celeste Fraser Delgado about the program and their event this weekend at Bloomingdale’s.

Carnival Arts.

Neil de la Flor: Tell us about the event this weekend at Bloomingdale’s.

Celeste Fraser Delgado: Bloomingdale’s will exhibit roughly 35 masks culled from those made by young Carnival Artists over the past seven years. The exhibit also features the mask-making project: masks made from Bloomingdale’s bags that represent Anansi, the trickster spider from folktales told by the Ashanti people in Ghana; [the tales] have made their way all over the Americas [via the] Ashantis captured in the Black Atlantic slave trade. Anansi is especially well-known in Jamaica, but also can be found from Brazil to Baton Rouge.

ND: What role do the students play in this?

CFD: This spring, two Barry University students involved with the program are Ashantis, raised in Ghana. They are sharing dances, rhythms and songs with their peers and the youth from Miami Bridge crisis shelter. On Friday, the Carnival Arts crew will share these Ashanti traditions, as well as Brazilian carnival song, dance and percussion in an open workshop from 4-6 p.m. [ed note: see more details below].

ND: How will the event work?

CFD: On Saturday, the Carnival artists will parade around Bloomingdale’s Aventura in mask, as a prelude to a fashion show with professional models displaying the masks made by the youth. Shoppers will also have the opportunity to make their own Anansi masks in an open workshop led by Brazilian visual artist Rebeca Gilling. Bloomingdale’s will award a prize to the best Anansi mask.

Carnival Arts.

ND: Could you talk more about the role the trickster plays in Anansi culture and empowering youth?

CFD: If you’re ever in trouble, remember the folktales about Anansi the spider. Ever since slavery days, Anansi has woven his web from West Africa across the Atlantic to the Americas, where tales of his outwitting the powerful can be heard from Brazil to Jamaica to New Orleans.

We’ve been thinking about Anansi a lot lately in the Carnival Arts program. In Carnival Arts, professional artists collaborate with college students and teenagers living in youth crisis shelters on projects that explore the drumming, dance, masquerade and storytelling traditions associated with carnival celebrations in the Caribbean and Latin America. Over the past seven years, we’ve sung and danced to samba from Brazil, kongo from Haiti, soca from Trinidad, cumbia from Barranquilla. We’ve made masks inspired by these celebrations and many more. This spring, because we have been lucky enough to include in our group the two Barry University students from Ghana, we’ve been exploring the roots of carnival in the traditions of the Ashanti people. We’ve been reading up on Anansi stories and making up our own stories about Anansi’s tricks. For the teens in crisis who participate in Carnival Arts, these stories offer an opportunity to imagine a world where those without power find a way to triumph by their wits.

ND: How were the masks created?

CFD: When Bloomingdale’s invited Carnival Arts to exhibit some of the masks we’ve made over the years, and make new masks for a dance party and fashion show this weekend, we knew exactly what masks we wanted to make: Anansi masks! Bloomingdale’s gave us several dozen of their famous brown bags to work with, and with the help of Brazilian artist Rebeca Gilling, we turned those bags into some funky spiders. Working alongside the Barry students, the teenagers living in the Miami Bridge youth crisis shelter created fantastic insects with crazy eyes in beautiful colors. We’ve been wearing those masks as we try out the steps to the adowa dance from Ghana. We’ll be wearing them this weekend as we journey from Ghana’s adowa music to Brazil’s samba, a journey Anansi has taken too. We hope you’ll join us to dance and drum, and even make your own Anansi mask if you like.

Watch a video here: http://vimeo.com/87280457. Carnival Arts Schedule: Feb 21-March 7: Carnival Arts Exhibit at Bloomingdale’s Aventura – Location: Level 2 by the mall entrance Feb 21-March 7: Carnival Arts Exhibit at Bloomingdale’s Miami at The Falls – Location: Level 1 by Men’s Shoes Friday, February 28, 4-6 p.m.: Carnival in Cosmetics featuring Carnival Arts Dance & Musical Workshop (plus live music and cosmetics events)  – Location: Cosmetics on Level 1 Feb 28-March 1: Aventura donates 10 percent back* Saturday, March 1, 2-5 p.m.: Carnival Celebration at The Falls (live music, Brazilian food and drink) – Location: Levels 1 & 2 Saturday, March 1, 3-6 p.m.: Carnival Celebration at Aventura with Carnival Arts Percussion Parade (plus Brazilian food and drink, informal modeling, DJ) – Location: Level 2 *Bloomingdale’s is happy to donate 10 percent of tracked sales on Friday, Feb 28 through Saturday, March 1 to Carnival Arts organization. Supporters will need to request a duplicate receipt of their purchase and place it in the marked redemption box located by the escalators on Level 2.