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April 24, 2019 — (Key West, FL). Put some funk into your junk and roll on over to the 2019 Papio Kinetic Sculpture & Art Bike Parade

The fourth annual Papio Kinetic Sculpture & Art Bike Parade, part of a three-day tribute to late Key Largo rebel folk artist Stanley Papio, is set to launch from the Custom House Museum at noon on Saturday, May 4. Whether you chose to spectate or create your own kinetic sculpture float or art bike, here are 8 great reasons you should roll yourselves there!

  1. IT’S FAMILY-FRIENDLY, art-inspired, human-powered fun! Think art with parts that move.
  2. A CHANCE TO RECYCLE YOUR JUNK WITH YOUR OWN SPECIAL FUNK.Excellent excuse for dumpster diving adventures and more flaunting of your Fantasy Fest and Mystick Krewe costuming brilliance.
  3. YOU CAN EMBRACE YOUR REBEL SPIRIT!No need to be the next Stanley Papio or Theo Jansen to make your own Kinetic Art Sculpture Float or Art Bike—some creative inclination mixed with a dash of kinetic savvy will do. The only requirement is that they are physically moved by you (and/or a teammate(s)).
  4. YOUR CONCH CRUISER COULD USE SOME LOVE.Dress up the wheels you’ve got, register your Art Bike and call yourself parade-ready!
  5. YET ANOTHER REASON TO WEAR A TUTU!And where else are you going to wear that hat?
  6. YOU CAN GO BAREFOOT AND REWARD YOUR RECYCLING INGENUITY WITH BEER….just like Stanley Papio!
  7. THERE WILL BE AWARDS! MUSIC! AND DANCING!As the Parade ends, a party with awards ceremony, live music, refreshment booths, and the most awesome of Kid’s Zones begins at the Truman Waterfront Amphitheater – and admission is FREE for parade registrants, Key West Art & Historical Society members with membership card and kids aged 18 and under! (General admission just $5.00).
  8. IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO REGISTER!Deadline is April 30 for Kinetic Sculpture Floats and May 1 for Art Bike Entries. Entry fees are $25 for Kinetic Sculpture Teams; $15 for Art Bikes; with registration fee waived for Key West Art & Historical Society members (details, inspiration, and ideas at papiokineticparade.com).

Here’s the entire schedule low-down on the roll-down:

  • Friday, May 3, 6:00 – 7:00pm: Key West-based artist and academic Molly Ross presents “Spectacle in the Street: Art of the Parade” at the Custom House Museum, 281 Front Street. Free, but register in advance for a guaranteed seat at kwahs.org/events.
  • Saturday, May 4: The Fourth Annual Papio Kinetic Sculpture and Art Bike Parade – a wild and wonderful cavalcade of art-inspired, human-powered, mobile sculptures and art bikes  launches from the Custom House Museum at noon (but come as early as 11:00am for pre-parade line-up festivities!) and travels down Front Street to Duval Street, then Southard Street to the Key West Amphitheater, where more fun awaits.
  • After the parade, 1:00 – 3:00pm: It’s a post-parade party at the Truman Waterfront Amphitheater, with awards ceremony, live music performed by The Wilde Awake featuring Tony Baltimore, refreshment booths, and an incredible Kid’s Zone complete with a rock climbing wall, giant water slide, obstacle course, “Papio’s Recycled Art Workshop” area, archery tag, the famous Imagination Playground giant blue blocks, and a fun inflatable special for the very wee ones.
  • Sunday, May 5: Free admission all day to Fort East Martello Museum, 3501 South Roosevelt Blvd., and the permanent exhibit of Stanley Papio sculpture works.

The Papio Kinetic Sculpture and Art Bike Parade is presented by Key West Art & Historical Society, co-produced by Wonderdog Studios and supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support provided by the Monroe County tourist Development Council, the Helmerich Trust, Margaritaville Key West Resort & Marina, Key TV, Keys Weekly, Law Offices of Samuel J. Kaufman, and First State Bank of the Florida Keys. Your Museums.  Your Community.  It takes an Island. 

Photo Caption:

Key West based artist Suzanne Brown created a tribute to Shel Silverstein and his story “The Giving Tree” for the 2018 Papio Kinetic Sculpture and Art Bike Parade. This year’s spectacle launches at noon from the Custom House Museum, 281 Front Street.