The annual Procession of the Species delights and amazes hundreds of people every year who turn out on a spring afternoon to see the creativity and talent of their neighbors on full display.
But the magic of the procession begins weeks before the event itself, at a community art studio run by volunteers.
Free and open to everyone, the Procession Art Studio offers workshops, creative space, art supplies, and the chance to collaborate with others while preparing for the Procession of the Species celebration in Olympia at the end of April.
“The Procession is great. It's fabulous. But actually being in the studio working with people is just really satisfying as an artist and a community member,” said Procession volunteer and artist Jennevieve Schlemmer during a tour of the studio on Friday, April 3.
Recent visitors to the studio include a yoga group making their costumes for the Procession, first-timers taking a class on luminary building, returning artists coming up with their latest big idea, and curious walk-ins taking a tour.
“A lot of people come in, and they peek first, and then they'll come back, and then they'll want to build something,” Schlemmer said.
The studio environment is intentionally collaborative, encouraging artists of all mediums to share their talents and problem-solve together.
One returning artist and volunteer, Joy Johnston, recalled an experience a few years prior where she was trying to make hummingbird costumes for her belly dancing group, but was having trouble executing her beak design.
Schlemmer, who has a degree in sculpture, was able to step in and help.
“If you have a dream of making something, you could just walk in here and somebody — there'll be enough people to help you figure it out, and there’s all the supplies,” Johnston said.
Many artists will also leave their previous years’ work behind for future Procession participants to “adopt."
A Garfield Elementary School group has adopted a snail and mushroom float Schlemmer made a few years ago, with students planning to dress up and pull the float in this year’s Procession.
Schlemmer herself is making a giant radish this year. She built wearable cat puppets for herself and her husband the year prior.
Those interested in getting involved in the Procession for the first time are encouraged to attend a workshop or a class at the Procession Studio. If there aren’t any openings left, they can simply stop by the studio and check in with a volunteer on staff to get a tour and get started on a project, or see if there’s a finished piece they can adopt.
While kids are certainly welcome at the Procession studio, volunteers stress that the space is not just for them.
“Adults make art. You can make art your whole life, and you don't have to stop, and there's a place for you to make art,” Schlemmer said. “Everybody’s welcome. That’s what makes it so cool.”
The Procession Studio is an extension of the Procession’s six founding tenets, which include vows to promote public outreach, foster diversity of expression and participation, and place art into the hands of as many people as possible.
Participants only have three rules to abide by when creating their art for the Procession: no written or spoken words, no pets or live animals, and, with the exception of assistive devices like wheelchairs, no motorized vehicles.
The Procession Art Studio is only open for a handful of weeks leading up to the Procession, and real estate challenges threatened to cut that timeframe even shorter.
The Procession Art Studio has previously had a home in the Olympia Armory, but that space will be unavailable for the next few years as the City of Olympia begins renovating it into the Daley Arts Center.
This year, the Procession Art Studio opened March 14 at 509 E 4th Ave in downtown Olympia, in the former location of Orca Books and Johansen Olympia Dance Center.
The Olympia Dance Center recently moved out of its two downtown studio spaces and into the new Olympia Arts & Wellness Building at 1100 Jefferson St. SE. One studio was rented out to Procession organizers for the Procession Art Studio, while the other is being subleased to Theater Artists Olympia.
“We are so grateful to Ken and Josie of Olympia Dance Center for helping make the 2026 Procession Art Studio possible,” said Eli Sterling, director of the Procession of the Species, in a March 12 news release. “Finding studio space can be challenging, but once again our incredible community has stepped up to help bring the Procession to life.”
The studio is open from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday through the day of the Procession of the Species: Saturday, April 25.
The Procession begins at 4:30 p.m., with setup starting at the Procession Art Studio at 9 a.m.
The Luminary Procession begins at 8:30 p.m. the day prior, Friday, April 24. Setup starts at the Procession Art Studio at 4:30 p.m.
To sign up for a class or a workshop, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/procession-of-the-species-olympia-2026
For more information about the Procession of the Species, visit https://www.procession.org/
The Procession of the Species coincides with Olympia's Spring Art Walk that same weekend. For more information on that event, visit https://www.artswalkoly.com/
