Turtles on Parade

by Candace Applie

A vision full of joy and enthusiasm can be contagious. When I first heard Jan Collins describe her vision of a public outdoor art project, The Town Turtles of Sandy Springs, I immediately wanted to join the Turtle Parade. Jan had seen the Cow Parade in Chicago and was entranced by the whimsical art that created a sense of joy and community spirit. As an active member in the Sandy Springs Society, she also saw the potential for this project as a fundraiser for local charities.

Then my rational mind began to resist. What could be sillier than a parade of twenty-five, five foot fiberglass turtles? Would any one even notice the twenty-five turtles? Could Jan actually convince 25 businesses to commit to the $2,500 sponsorship of a turtle? How could I possibly use a turtle to create a metaphysical art statement?

It was time to consult Ted Andrew's Animal Speak and Jamie Sams and David Carlson's Medicine Cards to discover the message from Turtle. The Medicine Cards describe the turtle as the oldest symbol of planet Earth. It states, “If you have chosen the turtle symbol, you are asked to honor the creative source within you, to be grounded in the Earth and to observe your situation with motherly compassion” - Ted Andrews in Animal Speak describes the Eastern mythology of turtle as, “an animal whose magic could help you unite heaven and earth in your own life.”

The energy of Turtle continued to call out to me. I wanted our turtle to represent the many cultures of our community and our world. I immediately thought of the Riverwood High School students who had created a beautiful mural celebrating their cultural diversity. At the dedication ceremony students had read poetry about weaving together the many threads of our lives. I could suddenly see a turtle covered in the fabric designs of many cultures creating a beautiful patchwork of cultures. I called Mary Anne Smith, the teacher at Riverwood who had sponsored the mural project and the Diversity Club. Through her recommendation, I discovered Karin Mervis, a Riverwood parent and mural artist. Mrs. Mervis agreed to lead the students in creating our Multi Culti Turtle.

Mary Schmidt, head of the English as Second Language program offered to include her students in the project. Ms. Smith designed a seminar for her TAG students on cross cultural communication. Those students worked with their partner ESOL students on finding fabrics from the 50 countries represented at Riverwood. The Sandy Springs Society had created small plaster turtles and donated 20 to each school to use in art projects. The teams of students then chose two fabric designs from different countries to paint together on their small turtles. Together they created a small turtle parade representing all the countries in their school community.

Many of the ESOL students were new to America. It was a joy to see friendship, understanding and respect growing as the students worked on the project together. Several of the ESOL students demonstrated superb artistic talent which became a bridge of communication between the two groups of students.

I met with students in their classes and in their weekly Diversity Club. We discussed the metaphor of the quilt as a celebration of both the contrasts and the harmony and beauty that could be created by the many cultures together. As we discussed the symbolism of the turtle, they proceeded to research turtle legends from around the world. When we picked the thirteen fabrics that would be represented on the turtle's back, the students  researched the history and symbolism of the fabrics of those countries.

Forty-five students worked together to create the Multicultural Turtle Project. As Karin Mervis guided the students in painting Multi-Culti Turtle, it was hard to believe the beautiful art piece evolved with so many hands working together. We painted a Phoenix and Dragon from a Chinese silk pattern on the front of the turtle. The Phoenix and Dragon represents the balance in the Universe of ying and yang energy. The Phoenix is the feminine fire symbol of change and transformation while the Dragon represents the masculine water symbol of the tao of the river of life that stays the same even as it changes.

Jan Collin's vision of the 25 turtles on parade has grown to almost 75 turtles being created in Sandy Springs. On April 16th at 9:00 am there will indeed be a Turtle Parade. All of the turtles will be assembled together at the Heritage Sandy Springs Park and proceed through the streets to a celebration at City Walk.

Multi-Culti Turtle may be viewed in front of Phoenix & Dragon Bookstore starting with the unveiling ceremony on Saturday April 30th at 10 AM. through September. There will be maps available to enable you to follow the full turtle trail.

Catch Turtle Fever. Come join the Celebration!