Heroes and Monsters

October just zipped past. Here is what I’ve been up to….

The Festival of Champions was a big hit!! My part was to design and construct an obstacle course based on the 12 Labors of Herakles. I had a bit of a tight deadline so I had to work fast. Originally,  the course was to be outside in Mt Vernon Park South but because of the weather we brought it in to the Sculpture Court. It might have looked a bit more magical outside with birds and apples in the trees etc., but there were advantages to having it in the museum as well. We had a big crowd.

First the kids took a list from a pot that held an image of nervous King Eurystheus. A  speech bubble above his head  read,  “Welcome to the Herakles Obstacle Course! I, King Eurystheus, have sent Herakles to accomplish 12 Labors. The first was to slay the Nemean Lion. I didn’t think he could do it, but  HE DID! He came back wearing the lion’s skin as a cape! Now I hide in this jar because I am afraid of him. Do you think you can make it through this course? Beware….   I have thrown many obstacles in your way!”

The course was designed for kids ages 3 and up. Each obstacle had an icon to identify it so that little ones could make their way around the course.

I didn’t take a lot of pictures on the day of the festival. I was too busy! But I did get a photo of Ingrid Schindall playing Queen Hippolyte. The sign read “Communication and good manners can overcome many obstacles. Ask one of these Amazons for a hula hoop. Be sure to say please and thank you!”
Ingrid is a fantastic hooper and sells her hand made hoops on etsy. Syl loves them and was her assistant for the day.

Here are some pictures of the obstacles in progress:

Here’s the Hind before I added the golden antlers with matching hooves. She was at the center of a large maze. The kids were instructed to “Find the Hind”

The swamps of Lerna were curtains spray painted,  cut into strips then suspended between two sets of columns. A large Hydra was hung above and the kids had to venture through.

One of the nine heads of the Hydra.

Calm down Kerberos, pet him gently!  He was made of soft, soft fleece. I over heard a little boy say, “OUCH! He bited me!”, then he laughed himself silly.

David and Grace enjoyed the rest of the festival immensely. They loved the Heroes exhibit, took the quiz to find out which hero or monster they are, and said that Kevin O’Malley’s talk was hilarious! Here are some more photos from the festival.

Go ahead and take that quiz…tell me which hero or monster you are!

Tags: Herakles, SFG: Monster, Walters Art Museum