Hearthunder likes to hit the local summer parades with human-powered creations as a way to do education, outreach and fundraising for activism. The first year, we kicked off with an ambitious new three-wheel-drive, four-rider trike with some truly wacky engineering details thanks to our design guru Paul Marr Hilliard. It made its debut at the 2022 Human-Powered Parade in Bristol, VT. Check out the fundraising video produced the project by the inimitable Ethan Nelson below.
In 2022, Hearthunder Art Collective went public with appearances at 5 local parades. The USS WAKE-UP CALL rolled through parades in Bristol (twice!), Orwell, Brandon and Pawlet VT with a much-needed climate message. As one participant put it: we were "bringing joy to the apocalypse".
Dia de los Muertos 2022
Hearthunder Art Collective was asked to lead an art build with Middlebury College students for the 1st Annual Dia de los Muertos procession at the college. Our wood-and-paper-mache 'La Catrina' led the procession on her custom-built carriage.
Montpelier Climate Rally: January 2023
In January 2023, Hearthunder unveiled the 'Bonemobile' to lead the march through Vermont state capitol to the statehouse steps for a climate rally sponsored by 350.org and a coalition of other groups.
Third Act Bank Action: March 2023
In March 2023, climate group Third Act sponsored a rally in Burlington, VT to protest Chase Bank funding fossil fuel projects that are a major contributing factor to climate change. The march culminated in a symbolic cutting of a giant Chase credit card with a giant pair of scissors. Hearthunder Art Collective made the props for this event, as well as a banner and several signs.
'Somewhere' Butterfly Art Build: April 2023
In April 2023, Hearthunder was invited to lead two art build workshops with Middlebury College Students that resulted in an art installation in the Mahaney Art Center. This was in conjunction with a series of events titled Art vs the Apocalypse that focused on climate change and the role of art in climate activism. A highlight of the week was the production of the climate-change themed play 'Somewhere'. As endangered Monarch butterflies featured prominently in the play, we created an art installation with over 100 hand-crafted monarch butterflies suspended from the ceiling in the lobby of the theater.
Pipeline Snake: Summer 2023
To protest a proposed steampipe expansion project of the heavily carbon-intensive and climate-killing McNeil Biomass Plant in Burlington, VT, Hearthunder was asked to contribute the head for a 'pipeline snake' that was unveiled at a public event hosted by the local power company that operates McNeil. It made quite an impression!
Parades 2023
For 2023, we gave the USS WAKE-UP CALL an upgrade and Made a whole new back end for the BONEMOBILE, which became CAUTIONARY TALE. Both were huge hits at the 4 parades we rode in.
Dia de los Muertos 2023
Middlebury College Theater Professor Olga Sanchez-Saltveit asked us back for another round of Day of the Dead creativity. This time we went BIG with a giant Calaveras, complete with built-in lighting.
SNEG art builds and Montpelier Rally: January 2024
Hearthunder Art Collective was proud to collaborate with Middlebury College's Sunday Night Environmental Group and 350.org to produce art for the 2024 Climate Rally in Montpelier. Watching the 'Vermont Department of Greenwashing' paint the town 'green' was a highlight.