Immigrant families tell their stories through mural

By Amanda H. Miller | Jackson Hole News & Guide

The waterfall in a mural being unveiled at Lyndsay McCandless Contemporary tonight represents the turmoil felt by local immigrant families. More than 30 families worked together to create a large-scale mural representing their dreams, desires and goals as well as the adversity they face and the obstacles they've overcome in their journeys in Jackson Hole.

There's a door handle on either side of the work, representing two open doors. The mural artists are participants in the La Puerta Abierta ("the open door"), a Teton Literacy Project program designed to help families develop English proficiency.

"It was a fun project," said Antonia Martinez of creating the mural. "I drew with my daughter." Martinez attends La Puerta Abierta classes every Monday and Wednesday and meets with an English tutor every Thursday. She is from a small town in Tlaxcala, Mexico. Her two children, Andra, 7, and Isac, 2, were born in Jackson. Martinez stays home to care for her children and look after their while her husband works.

Now that Andra is in school, Martinez is acutely aware of her need to speak and understand English. That's why she spends so much time at Teton Literacy Project. And it's working. She speaks a lot of English and understands more.

The drive and desire to learn English united the families who painted the mural, which is why the central element of the painting is a book. "The book symbolizes the importance of knowledge and learning in the journey for immigrant families," said Bille Metzger, a teacher at Teton Literacy Project.

The mural also features several butterflies painted the colors of different flags from around the world. They represent the different nationalities of area immigrants who participate in the program. The butterflies symbolize the flags of Argentina, Mexico, Germany, Peru and others.

Under the book at the center of the painting is a bridge over a peaceful river. It means different things to the different artists who worked on the project. "It's the flow of life," Metzger said. But the river has more literal meaning for Martinez. It's the Rio Grande, a river many of her friends and family members had to cross in order to reach the United States and make a new life. Many died trying to reach it, and many died after crossing it. "It's really hard for us to do something for our children in Mexico," Martinez said. "There are more opportunities here." So, with every stroke of the brush when the group painted the river, Martinez sought to honor those people who lost their lives seeking better ones.

The mural will appear tonight only during a reception from 6 - 8 pm at Lyndsay McCandless Contemporary. The artists will be at the gallery to explain the significance of the different elements. Metzger said Teton Literacy Project teachers expect to display the mural at Teton County Library and the Art Association as well. It will also be featured at the organization's Luncheon for Literacy.