MIAMI, FL – Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Koubek Center and Cuatrogatos Foundation present Storybook Picnic, a free cultural event designed for children and families, which will take place in March, April and May. The events aim to entertain and educate, sharing with children the wealth and variety of the cultural traditions throughout the city and promoting the pleasures of reading and the love for books.
Each Storybook Picnic will feature a diverse program including children’s theater by Artefactus Cultural Project and Leonardo Van Schermbeek; musical presentations by Michael Gil and Rita Rosa Ruesga; storytelling by Cuenteros (Marilyn Romero and Geraldine Townson); Troop of Actors (Nitsy Grau and Leopoldo Morales); improvised plays with Creative Stage Productions and percussion classes with the South Florida Center for Percussive Arts.
“It’s an honor for us to work with The Koubek Center and Miami Book Fair in this important project,” said Antonio Orlando Rodríguez, co-founder of Cuatrogatos Foundation. “From its beginning in 2014, this celebration of books and reading has had a great reception within Miami’s Spanish-speaking communities. We are thrilled that this year the event is also open to an English-speaking audience as a way to encourage an inter-cultural dialogue that forms civic values.”
As with any good picnic, tablecloths and baskets will be placed throughout the gardens, but instead of food they will be filled with books to feed the imagination and provide enjoyment for the whole family.
Storybook Picnic is produced by The Koubek Center and Cuatrogatos Foundation in collaboration with Miami Book Fair, and with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the State of Florida.
WHAT: Storybook Picnic events
WHEN: Saturday, March 7, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, April 18, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, May 16, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
WHERE: Koubek Center
2705 S.W. 3rd St.
The Koubek Center
A South Florida landmark with a long and rich history as a cultural hub, The Koubek Center is dedicated to building community through the arts. Over the past several decades, the Center has offered a variety of activities including workshops, art exhibitions, theater performances, literary readings, and concerts. It is a place for artists and local arts organizations to explore and experiment, engage in collaborations and share their work with the community. The Koubek Center includes a 200-seat theater, an expansive garden, classrooms, and rehearsal and multi-use spaces. Built in 1929 by Austrian trader John J. Koubek as a gift to his wife, it was later donated to the University of Miami and acquired by Miami Dade College in 2011. www.koubekcenter.org
Fundación Cuatrogatos
Cuatrogatos Foundation is a non-profit organization which develops educational and cultural programs encouraging the joy of reading and a passion for books and literature among children and young adults in Miami. As part of their ongoing efforts, they organize author visits to local schools and seminars for parents and teachers. They also produce the annual Children’s Literature and Reading Seminar in November with the Miami Book Fair. www.cuatrogatos.org
MDC Koubek Center contact: Adriana Oliva, 786-252-9920, adriana@aoinsight.com.
RSVP at https://picnicdelibros.bpt.me/