Art projects underway for Olympia’s Procession of the Species

Olympia’s Procession of the Species comes of age this year, when people celebrate the 21st event by taking to the streets with art, music and dance.

Procession starts at 4:30 p.m. April 23 in downtown Olympia, but long before that, community members of all ages are creating art including flags, wind socks and giant animal puppets requiring several dozen people to operate.

The project of the day Saturday at the Procession Art Studio on Water Street was batik windsocks and flags.

“I want to come here more,” said Whitney Van Gorkom, 9. “I think it was pretty cool.”

Whitney had just finished a banner with a lion climbing a mountain and a sun in the background. She was there with her Girl Scout troop of second- to fourth-graders from Serendipity Academy and Centennial Elementary School.

The session was led by Michelle Stevie, senior program specialist for the city of Olympia Stream Team. Stream Team’s mission is to protect and enhance water resources and habitats in Thurston County, Stevie said.

Her background is in science, not art, but she said the interaction of water and wax for the batik project combined science and art.

Whitney said the painting and the waxing were the hardest part because of drips.

The Procession Art Studio is at 406 Water Street this year. The space houses many of the larger puppets, including a giant crab that’s about 18 years old, according to volunteer Leslie Gowell.

“We were fortunate to have this studio,” she said. Their previous space had higher ceilings for some of the largest puppets, but the Water Street site has great visibility for the public, she said.

“We like the idea of providing a community art space,” she said.

In addition to community members making art, longtime Procession staff also add to the menagerie. Jerry Berebitsky, co-manager of the studio, has a large creation underway. All he will say is that it will take 22 people to operate. Berebitsky, who has a background in opera production, also created the giraffe and giant spider that are familiar to Procession viewers.

To find out more about how to participate at the Art Studio, see the Olympia Procession of the Species Facebook page.

This story was originally published April 2, 2016 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Art projects underway for Olympia’s Procession of the Species."