Image by Sarah Murphy
The Biodiversity of Texas is a one-hour long interactive, educational, and science-based performance that uses colorful backdrops, puppets, costumes, audio, and narrative to explore the wildlife and ecology of Texas. The performance takes viewers of all ages on a journey through five Texas ecosystems and briefly goes back in time to see what Austin was like 100 million years ago.
Drawing inspiration from nature-focused artists and performers, including David Attenborough, Isabella Rossellini, and Jean Painleve, The Biodiversity of Texas mixes art with science education to introduce audiences to some of the coolest animals in Texas. Viewers will get up-close and personal with amazing animals, including the fastest animal on earth and a pretty adorable animal that squirts blood from its eyes. This performance will leave viewers with an arsenal of animal facts to wow their friends on the playground or at a dinner party. The Biodiversity of Texas aims to share amazing facts about Texas wildlife in a visually exciting way in order to inspire viewers to get outside, explore nature, and start their own animal facts clubs.
The Biodiversity of Texas is a production of Austin, Texas-based artist Jules Buck Jones’s Animal Facts Club. Animal Facts Club (AFC) is a group of artists, scientists, musicians, and writers who have a passion for sharing knowledge about animals in fun and creative ways. In 2014, Jules teamed up with Audrey Stewart, fellow AFC member and Education Coordinator at the local non-profit, TreeFolks, to create The Biodiversity of Texas. AFC performed The Biodiversity of Texasfor the first time at The Contemporary Austin at Laguna Gloria on Museum Day 2015.
This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.
Arrive early for the 2016 Keep Austin Beautiful Clean Sweep Presented by Samsung Clean Sweep is a city-wide service day followed by a volunteer appreciation party. Cleanup: 9am-11am, sites city wide (must pre-register) Appreciation Party: 11am-1.30pm (Animal Facts Club performance starting at 1pm) More info here: www.keepaustinbeautiful.org/cleansweep