Procession of the Species
by Diane Chiddister It was dark, cold and wet last April 27, but the dismal day didn’t dampen the high spirits in downtown Olympia. Drums rumbled and saxophones wailed as a cavalcade of creatures — huge swooping butterflies, a truck-sized blue peacock, and leaping dolphins, among others — progressed down Legion Way. Kids had transformed …
A Talk with The Procession of Species founder and “Director Guy” Eli Sterling about the return of the Procession after a four-year hiatus. If you’ve never attended, you might assume it’s a classic small-town parade with an environmental vibe and plenty of costumes, masks, puppets, music and dancing — and you’d be sort of right.
By Christian Carvajal For two decades, the indisputable highlight of Olympia’s spring arts season was Arts Walk and its attendant, handcrafted parade, the Procession of the Species. Those events will go on hiatus this year due to SARS-CoV-2 and the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Formerly scheduled for April 24 and 25, the revised date of …
By Molly Walsh In accordance with recommendations from Thurston County Public Health & Social Services and Governor Jay Inslee, the City of Olympia has announced the cancellation of the spring Olympia Arts Walk in an effort to maintain social distancing practices and curtail possible spread of the novel coronavirus(COVID-19). The semi-annual event was scheduled to …
By NED HAYES Photography by Shanna Paxton Photography Procession of the Species is Olympia’s annual celebration of the natural ecosystem. It’s been enlivened in recent years by the massive creations of large-scale puppeteer Jerry Berebitsky, whose creations delight crowds with brilliant color, innovative imagination and awe-inspiring movement. This year, however, instead of a single, oversized …
OLY ARTS is excited to partner again with Shanna Paxton Photography for the complete photo essay of Procession of the Species 2018! ((Also see our LUMINARY PROCESSION photo essay here)) Experience the complete Procession of the Species 2018 PHOTO ESSAY here >> Experience the complete Procession of the Species 2018 PHOTO ESSAY here >> Experience the …
OLY ARTS is excited to partner again with Shanna Paxton for complete photographic coverage of Procession of the Species 2018! ((See also our PROCESSION OF THE SPECIES photo essay here.)) CLICK THROUGH FOR ALL THE PICTURES >> CLICK THROUGH FOR ALL THE PICTURES >> CLICK THROUGH FOR ALL THE PICTURES >> ((See also our complete …
by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS The subtler sibling to the many-splendored Procession of the Species, the Luminary Procession shines brightly, filling the streets of Olympia with glowing paper lanterns and live music. When it began in 2009, this procession was intended exclusively for participants, as a ritual honoring the human spirit. “There’s something extraordinarily …
by Bryan Willis for OLY ARTS Artesian Rumble Arkestra is teaming up with Radical Acts of Dance Company (RADCo) to create a movable meadow for the Procession. Mary Nelson, one of four women who started RADCo in 1999, described the performance as a “flora entourage extravaganza. We’re incorporating some mind-blowing mandalas originally created for the …
by Karen Lunde for OLY ARTS Although few people welcome ants parading across their kitchen counter, the students in Julia Abrams’ first and second grade class at Hansen Elementary are getting excited to put the industrious insects on parade for this year’s Procession of the Species. “I’ve been bringing my class to the Procession of …