The Arnold Arboretum’s 24-acre Conifer Collection will be transformed this Saturday (July 9) into an art gallery, performance venue, and gathering space through this year’s “MassQ Ball: Origin.” The event will bring together Boston’s diverse artistic community to create an experience highlighting the natural beauty of the sprawling public park, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.

MassQ Ball 2022 is produced by the artist Daniel Callahan; the violist Ashleigh Gordon, the leader of Castle of Our Skins, the Black classical music group that is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year; and Create & Record, Callahan’s multimedia production and design company. 
The concept of a MassQ (pronounced “mask”) Ball is a nod to the tradition of body decoration that is part of indigenous cultures across the globe. During Saturday’s event, attendees will be able to participate in a ritual painting of the face.

Beginning in late March, organizers set up a series of six context-building lectures, panels, and interactive workshops that ran through the end of June. Among the topics explored were identity and artistic expression, the influence of origin stories and ancestries, African mythologies and folkloric cultures, and storytelling. Workshops on ceremonial vessels and MassQing were also offered through this series. 

The celebration will begin at 2 p.m. and run until 7 p.m. The wide range of artistic offerings at the Arboretum include spoken word poetry, Brazilian Capoeira, indigenous dance, hip-hop dance, African dance, Japanese taiko drumming, Black classical music, Boston Korean traditional dance, installation art, fashion design, and Mexican folk music.

Iris DuPont, a Dorchester-based artist who will be painting MassQs on attendees’ faces, sees the cross-cultural series of performances as an important learning opportunity.

“Knowledge comes in an interesting way,” she said. “Education comes about in an interesting way. And this is a fabulous way for people to open up to who they are, and to other cultures and other formats of artistry.”

Lucilda Dassardo-Cooper, who grew up in Jamaica and now lives in Dorchester, first heard about “MassQs” when Callahan gave a lecture at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. She painted MassQs at the previous ball and will be doing the same this time around.

“There’s always sort of a transcendental quality when you’re in an atmosphere like that,” she said of the event. “It really lifts your spirit and makes you feel wonderful long after the experience is over.”

She is particularly looking forward to being in “the presence of people, you know, with the intention of creating community and unity and their performances,” she said. “I get goosebumps just thinking about it.”

The rain date for the MassQ Ball is July 16. For more information and to reserve free tickets, visit massqball.com.