Our Common Nature: An Appalachian Celebration

In May of 2022, Cattywampus was invited to join the incomparable Yo-Yo Ma atop Purchase Knob in North Carolina for a small weekend gathering of naturalists, scientists, artists, storytellers, and cultural workers from Appalachia. The conversations and connections from this gathering planted the seeds for what grew into Our Common Nature: An Appalachian Celebration held in Knoxville in May of 2023.

This week of cultural experiences lifted the myriad voices of Appalachia – Indigenous, European, Latinx, Black, and beyond—in an exploration of our common future, with nature as our guide and included square dancing, Cherokee ceremony, an Indigenous food sovereignty lunch and a culminating Friday festival & concert on the World's Fair Park Lawn.

As part of the Friday celebration, Cattywampus Puppet Council led an Our Common Nature Parade with Knoxville community members, as well as artmaking activities in the free Community Village at World's Fair Park. We then had the great honor of performing as part of the Yo-Yo Ma & Friends concert that evening and sharing the stage with Chris Thile, Rhiannon Giddens, Eric Mingus, Sheila Kay Adams, Jarrett Wildcatt, Amythyst Kiah, Justin Robinson, Phil Jamison, and Tom Belt.