Future visits us through ancient texture. Carrying bountiful baskets filled with dignity, beauty and sparkles, ethereal goddesses float through your town, bestowing purification, empowerment, and blessings upon our lives. They appear as someone you have never seen, yet evoke deep intimacy and nostalgia. Their magnificent presence fills your heart with joy, a sensation too profound to capture in words. Transformation is entertaining for our wellbeing. Imagine... What if these extraordinary experiences could unfold in your community? What if these magical creations were born right here, through your voices, hands, cheers, and participation? What if the story of your life could transform into a divine spectacle, experienced as you stroll through your town?
Behind the scene This project initiated in 2023, as I started to meet with a small group of women in Sonoma with diverse nationalities, ethnicities, socioeconomics, and age groups, through a multitalented art/culture/community maker and yoga educator Lisa Willett. Each meeting led us to share private stories, vulnerability, compassion, and unveiled each of our strengths and beauty as individuals. As a woman, I found a deep resonance with their lived experiences. Months of active engagement with these personal narratives reached a transformative moment. Drawing from my background in costume and puppetry art, I translated these stories into conceptual sketches, birthing the Sonoma Procession Project.
What Is This Project? This community-based art project is developmental, interdisciplinary, multicultural, participatory, and immersive. It fosters open and sincere conversations with collaborators, to design and build costumes, wearable puppets and mask, into performances. Involving local participants, the project emphasizes the process while aspiring to showcase each piece through public processions. Future activities include workshops on story sharing, somatic practices, costume, prop, puppet and mask making and movement, instrument making with upcycled materials, local event participation, and various creative community making with collaborators.
Why Procession? Costumes, masks, and puppets have historically played integral roles in rituals and festivals across cultures. They communicate directly with performer’s body, celebrating nature's cycles, lineage, and mythology while expanding our awareness. These artistic forms spotlight the most beautiful facets of individuals, empowering both performers and their communities. Art doesn't need to be confined to special venues; it can be crafted and worn. Through artmaking in community, we celebrate our everyday lives together. Our Goal In a world often marked by division, especially in our competitive society, adopting a more feminine approach—sharing vulnerabilities and transforming through compassion—can be a potent solution. This project celebrates and empowers everyone, particularly those who identify as womxn and embody sacred femininity. Our aim is to spread joy and celebrate with a broader community, nourish our soul with art as food. We also envision to reach out to younger generations, helping children embrace their uniqueness, find beauty, and stand up for one another. I am looking forward to connecting with those seeking transformation through collaborative handmade spectacles.
What’s new Thank you! Our debut performance Arrival of Goddess received The Vickie Soulier Most Theatrical Award (Adult) at Sonoma Trashion Fashion Runway Show