Random Acts of Silliness summons mythical creatures at parade

An old legend says that every winter, a series of mythical creatures — known as the Menagerie of the Imaginary — appear for one night to light up the Bozeman sky.

According to the team at Random Acts of Silliness (RAS), the fantastical creatures are actually handcrafted lanterns created by local artists and MSU students.

On Feb. 21, around 400 community members went to the Gallatin Regional Park to show off their lanterns. Each was carefully crafted to fit one of three categories: air, water or earth.

Anna Visscher, the creative and communications director for RAS, said that the parade was meant to bring light to the community during the dark winter season.

“We wanted to create something at a time of year where it feels like winter has been going on and on,” she said. “We’re sick of the monochromatic landscape, and we’re craving color and light and connection with our community.”

The first parade was held by RAS in 2024 in collaboration with MSU students and faculty and community artists. Jade Lowder, the foundations coordinator at the School of Art, said he was approached by RAS after a member saw one of his class's projects.

“We did this project where students make oversized cardboard versions of their own heads,” Lowder said. “I was posting [the projects] online and showing off what the students did, and [RAS] saw these photos and reached out to see how we could be involved.”

“MSU students have been an integral part of the lantern parade since its inception,” Lowder said. “The students came up with crazy, wild designs, which was one of the big principles and successes of the parade.”

That year, Lowder said he realized that Ideation Creativity — an art class offered every spring and summer semester — would be a perfect setting to make lanterns.

For this parade, students in the class created a giant fish with woolly mammoth tusks and a bird with a rabbit's head and jackalope antlers, among others.

Kate Little, a freshman studio art major, said her group made a reverse mermaid with a fish body and human legs.

“It was a delight to hear all the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from the audience and especially the children — the children were just amazed as the lanterns floated by,” she said.

Little said it was really cool to see their art displayed and the positive reaction from the Bozeman community.

“Art and events like this enhance the lives of the audience or the people who come to see it,” she said. “It's something unusual; it happens once a year. It just creates something different and exciting and spectacular in their lives.”

The parade was led by head lanterns created by professional artists and followed by lanterns from students and the community. The Earth realm was led by Amelia the Bird Horse, the water realm was led by Echo the Dragoon and the air realm was led by Phineas the Phoenix.

“We’ve encouraged people to think about where your lantern feels at home,” Visscher said regarding the set categories.

In addition to the parade at the park, RAS held a viewing at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds for children and those with mobility limitations.

“It's very hard for people with any kind of mobility limitation to get to a place in the park where they can watch, and kids were getting cold and tired and bored,” Visscher said. “So we really wanted to make an event for our youngest fans and our oldest fans at the same time.”

She said that the goal of the parade was to foster community engagement.

“You're standing next to someone you don't know, who also lives in your community, who might be a very different socioeconomic level, might be coming to this with kids, without kids,” Visscher said. “A common misperception is that everything we do is for kids.  [We] do everything for the young and young at heart. It's just reaching that inner child and that sense of play and whimsy.”

Diane Radcliffe, a Bozeman resident who created a lantern, said events like these bring joy to Bozeman.

“I think these events are huge,” she said. “The more we can [do] them, the more fun there is to have.”

Lowder said that parades and community events are great ways for students to showcase their art.

“Artwork doesn’t just exist on a wall or in a classroom; it reaches out and touches people,” he said. “I want to show our foundation's students that there are different routes to making art and to showing people your art.”

For more information about RAS and its events, visit its website at https://www.randomactsofsilliness.com/.