A collaborative Art in Action project to create a positive vision for our future and call for strong climate action.
When the pandemic hit, TCAT had to completely reimagine how we do our work. One of the first projects that came out of this was the virtual Art in Action Project, The Chrysalis Project: Transforming Together
We quickly pivoted from in person work to an online program exploring the power of art, the critical moment we are in as individuals and a society, what we might experience with the climate crisis, and the transformation of butterflies, ourselves, and our society.
In 2020, we held 10 Chrysalis Project workshops via Zoom with over 200 participants. In these workshops, we examined ourselves in the midst of three crises; a pandemic, a racial reckoning, and the climate crisis. We used the metaphor of what happens as a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly inside of a chrysalis, imagining that each of us, and our society is currently inside of its own chrysalis, that we have the chance to emerge on the other side into a world where we not only survive, but thrive.
In The Chrysalis Project: Transforming Together, participants used tools they had in their own homes, their creativity, and the power of our voices raised together to call for climate justice. They wrote poems of climate action, painted gardens, bicycles, healthy ecosystems, and wind energy, all inside of a butterfly motif. They explored through art what our world will look like if we take collective action, and what it will look like if we don’t. They wrote heartfelt letters committing to their own climate actions and asking our leaders to lead us in this work. They mailed their artwork and letters to local elected officials asking for strong climate action, to pass and implement a strong climate mitigation plan. The artwork and letters made a strong visual statement and were received by elected officials with gratitude and in many cases, a commitment to climate action. We displayed their work on our website, on social media, and created a short video celebrating the project.
For the Workshop
Have these items on hand:
- Pen and Paper (8.5 x 11 with no lines)
- Your favorite art supplies: Colored pencils, oil or soft pastels, paint, charcoal, pen, pencil, crayons, magazines, scissors, glue, or whatever art supplies you have in your home.
- Alternately, you can write and make your art on your computer.
- Envelope and stamp
Workshop Action Items!
- Write a Letter to Local Representative, asking for strong climate action. How to Write Letter to Representatives.
- Turn the page over and draw a butterfly. Draw or paint your vision of the future inside of it. (Draw your own butterfly or download and print a Monarch Template)
- Take digital photos of your letter and butterfly.
- Click here to upload and send photos to Carrie. She will include them in a collaborative art installation.
- Fold up your letter, put it in an envelope, and send it to your representative. (Addresses below)
How to Write Letter and Contact Info for Representatives
Upload digital images here
Send Letters To:
Olympia Mayor and Council Members
Olympia City Hall
601 4th Avenue E
- Cheryl Selby, Mayor
- Jessica Bateman, Mayor Pro Tem
- Dani Madrone
- Clark Gilman
- Lisa Parshley
- Renata Rollins
- Jim Cooper
Tumwater Mayor and Council Members
City of Tumwater
555 Israel Road SW
Tumwater, Washington
- Pete Kmet, Mayor
- Joan Cathey, Mayor Pro Tem
- Michael Althauser
- Leatta Dahlhoff
- Tom Oliva
- Charlie Schneider
- Debbie Sullivan
- Eileen Swarthout
Lacey Mayor and Council Members
City of Lacey
420 College St SE
Lacey, WA 98503
- Andy Ryder, Mayor
- Cynthia Pratt, Deputy Mayor
- Carolyn Cox
- Ed Kunkel
- Lenny Greenstein
- Malcolm Miller
- Michael Steadman
Thurston County Commissioners
Thurston County Courthouse
Building One, Room 269
2000 Lakeridge Drive SW
Olympia, WA 98502-1045
- Tye Menser
- Gary Edwards
- John Hutchings