By Carrie Ziegler, Community Engagement Organizer

In addition to my work for TCAT, and thanks to Olympia Artspace Alliance, I recently had an opportunity to create a mural for Olympia’s “Artists on Board” project. Due to my work with The Chrysalis Project: Transforming Together, I had butterflies and transformation on my mind. I invited artist Heidi Zarghami to join me in this venture, and we each designed and painted half of the mural, based on artwork I created as part of The Chrysalis Project.

In the Chrysalis Project, we recognize our current situation (in our homes, in the midst of this pandemic) and imagine ourselves as if we are inside of a butterfly chrysalis undergoing our own transformation.

It asks the questions:

• How can we emerge from our homes into a world that is healthier, happier, and more life sustaining for all?
• A world where we, together with our local governments, are taking strong climate action?
• What are we willing to do to make this vision a reality?

This collaborative mural represents the transformative process we are in both individually and as a society. It is our vision for what was, is, and will be; a future where we will not only survive, but thrive.

While painting, I thought of all of the letters and butterfly artwork that over 100 participants of The Chrysalis Project have already created. I thought of each person’s visions, drawn and painted in a butterfly motif. I thought of the strength of their individual commitments towards creating this future. I thought of the power of their words, sent to local representatives, asking for strong climate action; asking them to pass and implement the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan.

I am incredibly inspired by each person’s words and art. And grateful for the opportunity to share my own vision, while brightening some of the boarded up windows downtown. Together, we are making a very strong statement for the future we want to live in. And we truly can do more together than we can alone.

You can see the mural at Sizizis, 704 4th Ave E, Olympia, WA 98506.

Visit my website, www.CarrieZiegler.com for more photos of the project.

Visit The Chrysalis Project: Transforming Together if you’d like to join or host a workshop.