Photo by Igor Emmerich.
Little Amal — whose name means ‘hope’ in Arabic — is a 12-foot puppet of a refugee Syrian child who has traveled to 13 countries. She began her journey from the Syrian border and carries a message of hope for displaced people everywhere, especially children who have been separated from their families.
Join the ICA as we welcome Little Amal to East Boston in a special event at the ICA Watershed, where she will be met by music and dancing by Veronica Robles and young performers from the Veronica Robles Cultural Center (VROCC). Meet Little Amal at the corner of Orleans Street and Sumner Street and walk with her as she makes her way to the Watershed for a celebration with music and dancing. Plus, get a final bonus opportunity to view Guadalupe Maravilla’s mesmerizing exhibition at the Watershed, featuring large-scale installations, paintings, and sculptures that retrace and tell the story of the artist’s own migration journey.
There will be no Water Shuttle service.
1–2 PM | Procession with Little Amal and young performers from VROCC
Starting point: Zumix building, Orleans Street x Sumner Street, East Boston
Ending point: ICA Watershed, 256 Marginal Street, East Boston
2 PM | Celebratory musical and dance performances with VROCC
ICA Watershed, 256 Marginal Street, East Boston
Following the event, be sure to visit the East Boston Latin Music and Dance Festival in East Boston Memorial Park. The festival will include Latin American music and dance, delicious food, kids’ activities, local arts & crafts vendors, and will provide a welcoming, family-friendly environment for people of all ages and backgrounds.
Check out other stops on Little Amal’s Boston journey.
The ICA along with American Repertory Theatre (ART) at Harvard University, ArtsEmerson, Company One Theatre, Lars Jan, Boston University Center on Forced Displacement, Boston University Arts Initiative, Extinction Rebellion Boston, Foxborough Public Schools, RefugePoint and The Puppet Free Library, will welcome Little Amal to the city of Boston on September 7–9, 2023. Boston will kick off the 35-city tour from Boston to San Diego where 1,000+ artists and arts organizations will create 100+ events to welcome her.
Amal Walks Across America is produced by The Walk Productions in association with Handspring Puppet Company.
Amal Walks Across America was made possible through the generosity of the Doris Duke Foundation and the Bezos Family Foundation, with additional support from the Backstage Trust, the Barr Foundation, Sunny Bates, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Choose Love, The Conrad Prebys Foundation, the Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust, Ruby Lerner, the McMillan Stewart Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, the Opportunity Fund, The Shapiro Foundation, Students Rebuild, the Thorne Cox Family Foundation, and Barbara Tober.
