Great Park Model Building Lab to Tap into Children’s Imaginations

APRIL 14, 2008 – IRVINE, California – How do you build a truly Great Park? Ask a child. That’s exactly what will happen as children and families across Orange County are asked to use their imagination to design the ideal park and to share their vision with Great Park designers at the Great Park Model Building Lab. The event will take place on Saturday April 19, 2008 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Hangar 244 near the Great Park Balloon site. Families and children will be able to get a “hand’s-on” feel for how they would build a park. Where do you put the soccer fields, where should the lake go? These are all questions where kids, teens and families of all ages will be able to make their mark.

“As we design the Orange County Great Park, we are drawing on the imaginations of many members of our community,” said Larry Agran. “It is especially important to see what the children would like to see in their Great Park.”

The Great Park Model Building Lab is one of the 90 ARTS Orange County Imagination Celebration events going on throughout Orange County. The Great Park is the first of several festival sites to participate in this year’s event.

Participants will be collaborating with the Great Park Design Studio staff in a hands-on model building workshop. They will be able to use miniature objects and elements to actually design their “ideal” park and to share their creative energy with the Great Park Designers.

Participants will also be able to design their own animal mask, take pictures in front of a giant depiction of the Great Park Canyon, and construct a park sticker collage.

Children ages five and up are invited to participate. Parking and admission are free.

The Orange County Great Park, which is almost twice the size of Central Park, will be a major metropolitan park and the focal point of the redevelopment of the 4,700-acre former Marine Corps Air Station at El Toro. The Great Park will include extensive natural areas and open space in addition to recreational and cultural uses.

About Arts Orange County
Arts Orange County’s mission is to establish Orange County as one of the leading creative communities in America. The organization was established in 1995 as a nonprofit countywide arts council. It is the state-local partner with the California Arts Council and is the official local arts agency of the County of Orange. Arts Orange County serves as a resource and advocate for the arts community, as a catalyst for leadership on arts issues, and as a sponsor of programs and services which enhance public awareness of arts activities and promotes the development of the arts and arts education in Orange County.

Press Contacts:
Maryann Maloney
(949) 375-0856