Arts at the Great Marsh- Featuring BORBS

Join Great Marsh Institute for our fourth annual Arts at the Great Marsh. WHEN: Saturday, October 5th, 2024* – 11 AM – 4 PM *Rain Date: Sunday, October 6th, same time WHERE: Great Marsh Institute, 28 Moores Road, Elverson PA, 19520

Founded by GMI Administrative Assistant and Dance Artist, Mijka Smith, Arts at the Great Marsh works to expand environmental awareness and education through art.

FREE to the public, this year’s event will feature live music by Philadelphia-based group, BORBS, as well as the historic Ringgold Band of Reading, PA. Members of GMI’s Science Advisory Board will offer educational talks on the flora and fauna of the Great Marsh, including An Introduction to the Avian Sound Studies with Mike Coulter and Herping the Great Marsh with Bernard Brown. Epicurean Garage’s Food Truck will be on site serving delicious meals on the go.

See presentation descriptions and participating vendors below. Live Performances & Lectures

Live Music with BORBS (TIME TBD – The Stage) BORBS is an ensemble of improvising musicians inspired by the awe of nature. www.peoplesmusicsupply.org Follow @borbsband and @peoplesmusicsupply on social media

Live Music with The Ringgold Band (2-4 PM – The Stage) The historic Ringgold Band, located in Reading, PA, is one of America’s first community bands. Ever since its formation in 1852, the band has continued a longstanding tradition of providing southeastern Pennsylvania with fine musical entertainment. www.ringgoldband.com

Herping the Great Marsh with Bernard Brown (TIME TBD – Nature Center) The Great Marsh is crawling with snakes, turtles, frogs, and salamanders, but they can be hard to observe over hundreds of acres of muck and vegetation. Learn about efforts to study the Great Marsh’s herpetological diversity.

An Introduction to the Avian Sound Studies at The Great Marsh with Mike Coulter (TIME TBD – Nature Center) Over the past five years, Mike Coulter has been deploying Autonomous Recording Units (ARU’s) throughout The Great Marsh in an effort to better understand the presence and distribution of often difficult to observe marsh bird species. This will be an introduction to the purpose, equipment, processes, and results thus far in this continuing long-term project.

Participating Vendors

Davis Witmer Visual Arts Offering pen and ink sketches and prints. daviswit.wixsite.com/doodlevis Follow @doodlevis on social media

Epicurean Garage Food truck offering delicious meals on the go. www.epicureangarage.com