Here’s how we’re celebrating this year’s Big Read:
Big Read Celebration – Puppet Show and Film Screening
April 26th, 4pm – 5pm
Screening of animations made to accompany original songs of Home by Community Band, Latin Jazz Band and Rafeal Rafel Bustamante.
Wishes, a puppet show inspired by the book Carmela Full of Wishes by Matt de la Peña with illustrations by Christian Robinson, a companion book for very young readers for the 2025 Big Read.
Family Puppet Making Workshops
Saturday, April 12th, April 19th and April 26th, 11am – 1pm
For Community Arts, we’ll be making puppets inspired by *Carmela Full of Wishes, a companion book for very young readers for the 2025 Big Read. All ages welcome! Drop in part of Community Arts.
Animation and Puppet Making Workshop
Saturday, April 12th & April 19th and 26th 2pm – 5pm to info@artintheparkla.org – all ages free.
Puppetry Studio Work Hours, expanded hours to work on puppets for Wishes and animations. Tuesday the 22nd, Thursday the 24th. 3pm – 6pm.
Puppet making inspired by Carmela Full of Wishes, a companion book for very young readers for the 2025 Big Read. Music Inspired by The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, the Big Read book of 2025.
Reading Circle of Sandra Cisneros book The House on Mango Street
April 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th 10am – 11am, book provided
Free, RSVP to info@artintheparkla.org
All reading circles sessions are free and open to the public, and. A free copy of the book will be provided, and free coffee and tea will be served. You’re welcome to come to any or all of the sessions, but please RSVP so we know how many books to have on hand.
Ayrin Gharibpour
Ayrin Gharibpour is a puppeteer, illustrator, and stop-motion fabricator based in Los Angeles. Originally from Iran, she has performed with the Bob Baker Marionette Theater, Skirball Cultural Center, and Redcat Theater, and illustrated children’s books for over a decade. Ayrin also builds props and sets for studios like Apartment D and Bix Pix, and loves sharing the magic of puppetry through storytelling and whimsical characters.
Daphna Lapidot
Daphna Lapidot is a visual artist and experimental filmmaker based in Los Angeles. A Fulbright Scholar, she explores themes of memory, motherhood, and domestic life in her work. Daphna holds degrees from Northwestern University and CalArts, and teaches visual arts at Marlborough School. She is currently developing a new film focused on memory and family history.
Jessica Hemingway
Jessica Hemingway is a theater artist, dancer, and filmmaker who creates collaborative and solo performances in Los Angeles. She holds a BFA from CalArts and teaches theater at the California State Summer School for the Arts. Her work blends movement, storytelling, and live performance to engage audiences of all ages.
Osiris Galvez Paredes
