October maskmaking class with Laurie

Learn techniques for creating elaborate masks in paper mache over a sculpted clay base. Make a fabulous mask for Halloween or as a work of art. Laurie will give an overview and demonstrate the process and facilitate each student's creation of an original mask.
This class meets on three consecutive Wednesdays in October:
Oct. 14th- 6:00- 9:00
October 21st- 6:00- 8:00 pm
October 28th- 6:00- 8:00 pm

Class fee is $98. Includes all materials

Please call 2047434 to register or e-mail Laurie:
Laurie@theGreenParasol.com

Recent puppet sightings!

Keep your eyes open...You might see our big puppets out there in Madison when you least expect it! Here are photos from a stroll through the east side and the Atwood Summerfest. See a few photos here from Ride the Drive.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/calistan/3872079767/

Procession of the Species 2009!

Thanks to all who participated in our first Procession of the Species!
It was a smashing success!
The day started out rainy and gloomy, and we thought we might be rained out- but thank goodness the weather cleared just in time.
We had many friends new and old come to our tent and make or finish masks for the parade. The giant puppets of Darwin, the deer, the sun, the flatworm, bear and the owl all looked so beautiful, especially when surrounded by so many other creatures. Drummers provided a cadence for us to process to. Attendance was estimated at around 300 at peak- wow!
Thanks to everyone for being a part of this event. Next year will be bigger and better. Please stay in touch throughout the year and get involved in next year's Procession of the Species.

If you would like a tee shirt and didn't get one- we still have some left. Please contact us.

If you have photos or videos to share- I want to start a flickr pool (label- MadProcession/ or Procession of the Species Madison) Please contact me if you have photos and video- I am still compiling footage. I want to hold a post- event get together to watch footage and plan for next year- I will be posting details soon.

New Photos on flickr!:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/83264944@N00/sets/72157620478041487/show/


xoxo
Laurie

Procession NEWS FLASH!

Procession of the Species is Sunday June 21st. in Olbrich Park!

Puppet making activity will be at Olbrich Park from 3 pm to 5:30 pm. Bring unpainted props to finish or make a quick mask or hat to wear in the parade. Look for our tent near the music stage.

Recycled, hand printed tee shirts with the "Procession of the Species" logo will be available for a donation ( $5 or more) Also hand printed posters ($2 or more donation)

At 6 pm our procession will begin at our tent and spiral around the park, ending in a circle around the bonfire.

We will present a very short skit- the presentation of a 200th birthday cake to Charles Darwin with a few surprises....

Music, picnicking and celebration will continue until the bonfire at dusk.

You may want to bring the following:
bug spray
food and drink for picnicking
any supplies needed for last minute puppet making

we NEED VOLUNTEER PUPPETEERS!
We can use a few extra hands to operate the big backpack puppets. It's fun and easy! E-mail or stop by our tent to get more instructions.

All are welcome to dress as an animal our plant and join the parade- tell your friends!...

RAIN DATE- in the event of bad weather canceling the procession, we will regroup and participate in the Willy st. Fair parade in September.

Hope to see you all there- This will be Madison's first annual "Procession of the Species"!

www.MadProcession.blogspot.com

Laurie's cell # : 770 8374

Weekend workshop photos...

Kids with awesome masks...
The great horned owl gets a trial run...lookout mice
The dragon being decorated...
The deer up to it's final height...

Last workshop next weekend- June 13 and 14

Come to Hawthorne Park - 200 block of Division st. on Saturday and Sunday for a final blast of puppet finishing. We will have paint and brushes and extras to paint and finish the props for the parade. Bring along any colorful latex or acrylic paint you want to use or share.
Laurie and Ted will be finishing Darwin and the deer and giving technical assistance with painting and rigging your masks and puppets.

Please remember that our storage is extremely limited here, so prepare to store your own props unless you have made prior arrangements with us.

Free Ice Cream!


Hours:
Saturday June 13th 9:00 am- noon and 4:00pm to 9:00 pm
Sunday June 14th 3:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Call Laurie and Ted for more information
Darwin has been paper mache'd (7 layers). Back of head and ears added. Needs paint and beard and hair!
Almost done! One more eyebrow and some hairstyling. His hair and beard are made from mops.
Laurie wearing the sun. We'll finish decorating him this weekend. He needs hands and a few more costume details.
Come help paint the owl this weekend!

the latest!...

Hi all,
Projects are really in motion now as we get closer to the day of the Procession. Here are some photos from our last workshop at the Goodman Center:
Shaping the clay for for a portrait puppet of Charles Darwin...
Making a giraffe head for a stiltwalker...

Cutting cardboard for a giant sunflower...

NEWS! + Free workshop Sat. the 6th...

Here is the latest news on Procession of the Species/ Solstice

We have another FREE workshop this Saturday the 6th 9:30- 11:00 at the Goodman Community Center. Demo. of clay model mask making! Hands-on cardboard sculpture!

I had a meeting with Betty from Starkweather creek about Solstice/ Procession of the Species. A few things are now set:

Day of solstice puppet and maskmaking ( with Meghan from Absolutely Art providing art supplies and helpers) beginning at 2 pm.

The Procession will begin at 6 pm

The bonfire will be at 9 (or dusk)

Here's where we're at with Procession:

Large puppets made and in progress:
Sun
deer with flowering antlers
owl
bear
flatworm
dragon
eagle

and many other small scale masks of all kinds of creatures...

This Saturday the 6th from 9:30- 11:00 am at the Goodman center we will work on some clay sculpture masks. I will demonstrate making a clay model and covering it with paper mache to make a mask. I am going to be making one of Charles Darwin!

We talked about having a reprise from last year of a horn dance or some other musical component. The procession to the bonfire site also needs some structure or narrative- we discussed starting at the waters edge... ideas? We would love to have anyone else jump in with concepts... Feel free to post comments on the blog!

xoxo
Laurie
241 0259

next workshops:

Join us at the Goodman Atwood Community Center for these morning work sessions:

May 23rd- 9:00- 11:30 am

June 6th - 9:00- 11:30 am

Join us for more cardboard sculpture and paper mache' lessons from Laurie. Collaborate on a large puppet or make a mask for yourself.

All ages. FREE! Bring a friend! (donations always welcome)

Stop by Hawthorne Park in the 200 block of Division street after 5 on many evenings in June for work and paint sessions, fabric banner making and backpack puppet construction. Watch this space for announcements.

xoxo
Laurie

Latest Procession workshop

Our last workshop at Evolution art collective created some great work!
Some of the puppets and masks underway include a giant flatworm, a black bear, a grasshopper, and beetles. There is talk of a bat backpack puppet and a Charles Darwin giant puppet.

The giant sun puppet is in progress. The sun will be surrounded by kids costumed as plants and vegetables. She is made of rolled newspaper wrapped in fabric and yarn. Rays will be added surrounding the face.
A rodent mask showing the cardboard sculpture technique we've been using:
The giant deer head is now painted! Now he needs a body. The antlers will be decorated with paper flowers...

Workshop schedule:

Sunday May 17th from 5:30- 9:00 pm @ Evolution Art Collective 202 S.Dickenson st.

Saturday May 23rd from 9:00 am - 11:30 am @ the Goodman Community Center

Saturday June 6th from 9:00 am - 11:30 am at the Goodman Community Center

Workshops are FREE and open to all (donations cheerfully accepted)

Call Laurie for more info: 241 0259

Pictures from the April 1st and April 11th Workshops

Our next scheduled public workshop will be held in May on Sunday May 17th 5:30- 9 pm at Evolution Art collective- 202 S. Dickenson st. Saturday morning workshops will also be scheduled at the Goodman Community Center. Watch this space for a dates and times of additional workshops. Check out these photos from our April 1st and April 11th work sessions!


Kids getting into paper mache...

John with a cardboard inchworm in progress...
An awesome pig mask...

Cardboard sculpture mask with it's creator...

Next Workshop April 11th

Our First open workshop was a big hit! We have a salamander, a giant inchworm, a badger, a pig, birds, a great blue heron and many more creature masks under way. Pictures will be posted soon...

See the post below for the corn starch paste recipe.

Next workshop will be April 11th 8:30 am - 11:00 am at the Atwood Community Center

We will do more cardboard sculpting and start to paint and decorate our masks and costumes

contact me for more info:

Laurie 241 0259
laurie@thegreenparasol.com

Paper Mache paste Recipe

Dissolve 1/2 cup cornstarch into 1 cup warm water. Heat one quart of water on the stove. Slowly stir the dissolved cornstarch into one quart of boiling water. Once it thickens, turn off. Let cool before using. You will need 2 or 3 times this amount for a 3' x 3' mask. Make it fresh each time or store it in the fridge - it gets moldy fast. For a large amount at once use 2 cups cornstarch to 1 gallon of water.

April 1st- Mask Making teach in!

FREE mask and puppet making teach- in (donations gladly accepted)
for Procession of the Species
Wednesday April 1st 5:30- 9:00 pm
at Evolution Arts Collective
202 South Dickenson st. (Dickenson and Dewey court- one block from Willy st.)
all ages welcome...

Artist Laurie Rossbach will present an overview of making masks and giant puppets from cardboard, paper mache, paint and trash...

We will learn cardboard construction basics, paper mache techniques and how to transform your ideas into 3 dimensions

Then design your creature and dive right in and start creating your mask or puppet to take home and finish.

Procession of the Species will be held at the Summer Solstice celebration in Olbrich park on June 21st. 2009 sees the bicentenary of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his seminal work ‘On the origin of Species- this will be the overarching theme of this years procession. Celebrate nature through art! All are welcome to participate in the free workshops and the parade.

Laurie- 241 0259

evolutionartscollective.blogspot.com

Procession planning meeting March 10th

Join us at ESCAPE coffee house on Tuesday March 10th 6:30 pm to learn all about Procession of the Species '09

We will see some images from other Processions that have been held around the country and discuss our ideas for how to make our procession come together.

on the agenda will be:

Learning about the kinds of different puppets, masks, banners, and decorations that can be a part of our parade.

Planning for work space and teach-ins to create our big props- What kind of creatures do we want to make?

Networking with interested groups who may want to participate.

And I'm sure many more ideas will surface!

If you can't make this meeting, there will be more in the future- and give a call or e-mail with questions:

xoxo
Laurie 241 0259

Procession of the Species- June 21st

Hello Madison!
Procession of the Species will be held on June 21st during the Summer Solstice celebration in Olbrich Park.
What is Procession of the Species?
The first Procession was held 15 years ago in Olympia Washington to celebrate earth day. It is a community artistic celebration of the natural world using puppetry, masks, music, and dance.