Daisy Days & What Comes Next
We continue to find our footing at 101 Campbell … some weeks feeling like an absolute sprint, others reminding us this is really a marathon. Slow, steady, ears and eyes open. The reminders are helpful. Not everything that sounds exciting belongs on our plate and slowing down is how we make sure what we do pursue is actually why we're here.
The headliner, of course: the Daisy Art Parade. The event’s 4th year, and Art Project Roanoke’s first as its official partner and year-round home, saw 40 krewes — a number that continues to climb! — and wound through a brand-new venue at River’s Edge Park, alongside a first-ever carnival featuring a stage, art vendors, and health resources. Our best estimates put attendance somewhere around 1,200 people across the day. Roanoke showed up!
Congratulations to the I Heart SE krewe, who took home this year's trophy: a beautiful handmade ceramic piece by Becky Carr. A fitting prize for an event like this!
And you all absolutely cleaned us out of 2026 t-shirts. Thankfully, we're getting more printed and all proceeds go towards the 2027 parade. Pre-orders are open:
Our parade manager, Katie, modeling the 2026 Daisy Art Parade t-shirt!
April also brought the closing days of Wonderland — a ceramics show by a Hollins University class that transformed our Side Gallery. The work was technically ambitious, and the installation choices made the whole room feel like stepping somewhere else entirely.
It's something we've realized with each Hollins show: students arriving a little unsure of how to fill the space, and leaving having figured it out in ways that surprised even them. Installation is genuinely hard — it requires a kind of spatial and technical thinking that doesn't come automatically — and our Side Gallery turns out to be a pretty good place to learn it. Small enough that it's not overwhelming, particular enough that it asks something of you.
The receptions have been meaningful too, for reasons we didn't fully anticipate. Talking about your work to strangers, greeting people who came specifically to see what you made is its own skill, and not always a natural one. We've loved watching that confidence build.
A lot of this credit belongs to their instructor, Hollins artist-in-residence Dara Hartman, who clearly inspired them and pushed them to do their best work.
Now that the parade is behind us for the year, we're turning our attention to two programs, both built with the spirit of Art Project and Daisy Art Parade’s mission of making together:
Led by Mike Moran (aka the Iowa Goatsinger), this is an ongoing community workshop series for adults moving through four stages: making, exploring, animating, and performing. It starts accessible and builds toward full-body puppet construction and live performance. Quarterly Slams give the work a public moment. The next one is the Summer Solstice Slam on June 27, a free public showcase. Drop in whenever and see how far you want to take it.
Printmakers Collective
A new open-studio printmaking program meeting Tuesday evenings at 101 Campbell, free and open to all. No experience required. Brian Counihan — who you may know as the creator of the Daisy Art Parade — is leading it. We’re starting with screen printing and linocut, working with a collection of donated presses, and building toward a collective identity: our own logo, partnerships with local organizations, making shirts and posters at cost. Guests from Roanoke's printmaking community will drop in along the way to share their craft and their stories. It's the same spirit as the Monday parade build sessions, just with ink.
That's what's on the horizon. And in true marathon fashion, we're taking it one mile at a time.
So, if you walk by 101 Campbell Ave SW and notice empty windows or a bare Side Gallery, that's just the in-between. We're always working on what comes next — lining up shows, wrangling volunteers — building community takes time. The gaps will get shorter as we find our footing. For now, we're embracing the startup energy and grateful you're along for it.