Mark your calendars for an unforgettable celebration of art, culture, and community! On Saturday, October 4, 2025, the Arnold Arboretum will host MassQ Ball: Color, a free, day-long festival open to all and created and co-produced by Castle of our Skins and multimedia artist Daniel Callahan. Set against the stunning backdrop of the Arboretum landscape, the Ball will feature live performances, music, dance, storytelling, and interactive art experiences that invite all to reflect on the power of color and connection. The event centers around the ritual of “MassQing”—the creation of intricate, symbolic face paintings that express personal and cultural identity. We are honored to co-sponsor MassQ Ball: Color as a community event that shares our values of education and environmental equity in the landscape. Stay tuned for more details—and prepare to be inspired.
The much-anticipated event will include a curated lineup of musicians, dancers, culture bearers, and visual artists from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds including: Anjali Nath (Classical North Indian Kathak Dance); Danza Orgánica (Social Justice Dance); Floor Lords (HipHop Dance); Hyde Square Task Force Ambassadors (Afro Latin Youth Music, Dance, and Theatre); Jean Appolon Expressions (Haitian Dance Ensemble); Gund Kwok (Chinese Lion Dance); Isaura Oliveira & Power of Skirts (Afro-Brazilian Indigenous Performance Ritual); Cornell Coley (African Drum Circle); Steph Davis (Ghanaian Gyli); Dis N’ Dat Band (Trinidad & Tobago Steel Pan); Christopher Robinson (ASL Spoken Word Artist Griot); Teen Empowerment (Spoken Word Artist Griots); Ifé Franklin (African American Ring Shout); Shaw Pong Liu (Chinese American Installation Artist); Andre StrongBearHeart Gaines, Jr. (Nipmuc Installation Artist); Crystal Bi (Taiwanese-American Installation Artist); Lilly Manycolors (Installation Artist); and Naoe Suzuki (Japanese American Installation Artist). For complete details click HERE.
