Painter and fiber artist Christen Mattix spent more than three years knitting a rope of yarn that eventually traveled from a bench on Fairhaven’s South Hill to Taylor Dock on Bellingham Bay.
The project wasn’t just a temporary art installation. Knitting in public was also a way for Mattix to meet neighbors and engage with people on more than a surface level. It’s part of what led her to describe herself as a “social practice artist” — an ethos that was once again front and center when she began working on a mural commissioned by the City of Burlington to help beautify the downtown area.
As Mattix created “Root to Rise,” a 14- by 63-foot work paying tribute to Mexican folklórico dance and women of all ages, she opened herself up to numerous exchanges with those passing or driving by.
“Painting this mural allowed me to have a vulnerable exchange with a cross-section of the community that I haven’t been able to connect deeply with until now,” Mattix said of her current hometown. “Art is a human language that transcends cultural and language barriers. As an example, one day an elderly Hispanic woman waved to me through her car window and handed me a carton of organic blueberries. ‘Bonita,’ she said, and pointed at the mural.”
The passerby was right, the mural is pretty. The finished product, in fact, is downright beautiful. From a toddler to a senior, and a few ages in between, five dancers twirl their voluminous, colorful skirts in joyful celebration. Oversized bright-red strawberries hearkening to the Skagit Valley’s agricultural roots send out runners, while a great blue heron looks on and the local skyline beckons.
The painting is resiliently joyful, and it appears to tell a story. That’s not a mistake. Although Mattix worked on the mural on the side of the city’s Fairhaven Market from Aug. 8 to Sept. 9, she spent the prior two months preparing for what would be the biggest work she’s ever painted. In addition to procuring the necessary supplies and equipment, she needed sketches to work from.
Coming up short, she finally headed to Ferndale to interview a woman named Bertha Reta, the director of Chicas Reinas folklórico dancing group, which often performs at Burlington’s Berry Derry Days in the spring. The meeting, she said, gave her a personal connection to the theme of Mexican folk dance no amount of Google searches could provide.
In addition to learning more about the key role Mexican grandmothers play in handing down cultural and arts traditions to their children and grandchildren, Mattix discovered women of all ages are encouraged to participate in the balletic dance form. It’s not for a select few, but for everybody.
“Bertha told me the story of her granddaughter, Lola, who, at the age of 2, danced solo for Gov. [Jay] Inslee in Olympia,”
Mattix said. “The story of Lola’s moxie resonated with me as I faced this enormous mural project. Her personality gave me my starting point and the rest of the design unfolded organically from that point. By August, I had finalized my design for the mural.”
Lola’s visage can be found on the far left of “Root to Rise,” and the farthest dancer on the right of the mural is an elder whose red, yellow, green and white skirts are just as movement-filled as the rest of the dancers. Originally, Mattix said, the figure was supposed to represent a younger woman, but she decided to show human maturity “in all its beauty and fullness.” (Incidentally, Mattix said she also sees the smiling sage as the embodiment of the quintessential artist.)
During her research on both dance and fruit, Mattix found out the long runners strawberry plants send out are called “daughter plants.” They send down roots that eventually grow into mature plants — much like the grandmothers who teach their granddaughters to dance, helping them hold on to their own roots as they leave childhood behind and find their way in the world.
During the three months she spent creating “Root to Rise” Mattix said she learned more about herself, as well.
“Rootedness is a theme I’ve been working with in my art and personal life for the past four years,” Mattix said. “I wanted to show the importance of tending your roots — valuing who you are and where you come from. As a culture, we tend to hyperfocus on results or fruit, forgetting that the soil and the roots are the key to flourishing.”
At a mural ribbon-cutting and celebration taking place from 3:30–5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 730 E. Fairhaven Ave. in downtown Burlington, attendees can ask Mattix more about her inspiration, enjoy light refreshments and watch ballet folklórico dance performances. See the mural in its entirety and find out more about Christen Mattix’s art at christenmattix.com.
