Help Ziggy Spread the Joy of Art!

My name is Clay Achee, and I’m the creator, director, and primary rabble-rouser behind Ziggy and the Junkyard Band and their LPB arts education series, Ziggy’s Arts Adventure. In many ways, this show is a love letter to how arts education has improved my life. Through a combination of my love for filmmaking and an interest in puppet

making/puppeteering, I’ve been able to pay it forward by creating both a project and a band of talented professionals that work tirelessly to inspire a new generation of artists and imaginative thinkers.

 

Fifty years of research into the impact of arts education has shown us how the arts unquestionably have a meaningful and equalizing effect on student performance academically, socially, and, when they grow up, professionally. We all recognize how vital our makers of music and dreamers of dreams are to the fabric of our communities, and yet funding continues to be the number one obstacle that high-quality arts programming geared toward young people faces today.

 

I’m proud to say that every episode of Ziggy works to fill in the holes created by the severe lack of arts education funding seen across the country. The arts are a living, breathing, and essential part of Louisiana’s economy, and my team and I know that educating future generations on how to be energetic, empathetic creators is critical to the future success of this spectacular state. If you haven’t seen an episode (https://youtu.be/zdPSuO_Qliw), Ziggy’s Arts Adventure is an educational puppet series for grades K-5 that teaches young learners fundamental artistic and academic concepts through the magic of storytelling. The show stars Ziggy, a 9-year-old alien who is from a

planet of creatures that never developed creative ways to express themselves because their species communicate telepathically through the stalk-like “emoticons” on their heads.

 

When the Voyager I satellite containing its great golden record landed on his planet, our little green hero heard music for the first time and discovered the beauty of outwardly expressing emotions! Determined to learn more about art and music, he built a rocket ship to Earth and landed in a Louisiana scrap heap where he met a group of friendly musicians who call themselves The Junkyard Band. In each episode, this motley mix of misfits meets a dizzying array of Louisiana artists who help Ziggy learn about art, math, science, and community along the way.

 

After the incredible experience of making season one of Ziggy’s Arts Adventure for LPB, my team and I are ready to take our creation to the next level when it comes to both ambition and production values. Season two is shaping up to be an even more ecstatic and engaging affair, but to get where we’re going, we’re going to need your help.

 

What We Need:

Our dream is for this season of Arts Adventure to center around the Ziggy and the band’s preparations for that essential part of the rock n’ roll journey–going on tour! But before the band can hit the road, they’ll need a new set of wheels. That’s where you come in, friends. We have the opportunity to purchase a dream piece of set design that would help to propel the show’s narrative and artistic reach for seasons to come–a vintage 1950s Scenicruiser Greyhound bus that, while it isn’t up and running, is more than perfect for

our needs. With some paint, a little elbow grease, and a whole lotta love, we know that we can turn this hunk of glorious junk into a fantastic setting for season two of Ziggy’s Arts Adventure and beyond!

 

With your help, our plan is to purchase this bus from a local dealer and retrofit it into both a working set for our show and an art installation that can be visited and interacted with by arts camps and after-school programs. Local venue Beauvoir Park has already agreed to host the bus on their property to ensure it’s a permanent part of the community. We’ll be getting help with the restoration from local artisan William Loveland and Baton Rouge’s favorite internet-famous graphic artist Jonathan Palmisano will be chipping in to give the bus a fresh coat of paint and a mural. Your donations to the project would go toward purchasing the bus itself, the cost of

cosmetic renovations, and paying the working artists we’ll be employing to see this endeavor to its completion. And yes, because this is Louisiana, we are already brainstorming ways of turning this into a parade float.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to read all of this. This show and the people I’ve found who believe in my mission to share a love of the arts means the world to me. Any amount you wish to donate is appreciated, and every cent will go toward making sure that young people in Louisana (and a little green alien) are given a chance to experience the lifelong gifts of personal expression and artistic freedom.