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Swing by the mural site to see the project develop through 2022!
212 Avery Ave, Morganton, NC

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Stay tuned for FREE art lessons about the Catawba River Basin for k-12 (coming Fall 2021)

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Help us fund the SECOND half of the mural. Donations and proceeds from merch sales will go directly toward funding this project.

Project Description

This mural project is for the northeastern wall of 212 Avery Avenue, in Morganton, NC. This initiative celebrates our local ecology to promote a deeper appreciation for the conservation and stewardship of our region. In collaboration with the North Carolina Museum of Art, this mural will promote the biodiversity of our region along with its cultural diversity by celebrating the perspective and talents of the Hispanic community in North Carolina. This mural will also coincide with student programming over the course of three years, disseminating rich curricular material around conservation, ecology, and our diverse, local culture through workshops and public engagement. 

Mural Design | Designed by Alexa Eliana Chumpitaz

In this design, we see a woman captivated by the flight of a Monarch butterfly. This figure is part of the landscape, her hair flowing into the Catawba River, feeding into Lake James. Around the figure and butterfly, we see regional fauna and flora (their names appearing across the bottom of the mural). We find the Dwarf-flowered Heartleaf, the Worm-eating Warbler, an Edmund's Snaketail Dragonfly, Carolina Hemlock, a Blue Heron with a Green Sunfish, the Bog Turtle, and a Bald Eagle.

On the far left of the mural Francisca Mendez Rodriguez holds up one of her weavings. The pattern of this tradition textile turns into the landscape of Burke County as it moves into the center of mural where the fauna and flora of our regional biome are also featured through vignettes. These details were painted by students and community members.

Francisca was a Mayan Guatemalan weaver who lived in Morganton with her family until her passing in 2020. You can read more about her life story below.

This mural ultimately pays tribute to the preservation of the Catawba River Basin and speaks to the role we play in its care. The Monarch butterfly symbolizes the power of transformation and its presence signals a time for personal or internal change, especially changes of perspective and how we perceive our place in the world. 

Photos by Jesse Barber

A family member shared, “Now that she has passed away we have been learning more about her impact on others. During her funeral people we did not know would come up to us and say, ‘In Guatemala, when I was in trouble, she embraced me, and taught me to be better. Francisca saved my life.’”

Francisco and his brothers (Andres, Mauricio and Gerardo) moved to NC in 1992, and Francisca followed in 2016. While in Morganton, she spent time with her family cooking and making art. She enjoyed weaving so much she would work under a cherry-blossom tree in their front yard throughout the day. Her family would sometimes wake to find Francisca outside early in the morning. She would say, “It’s so fresh. I love to hear the birds and speak to the neighbors.” She would listen to Guatemalan music on her radio while weaving incredibly intricate designs illustration plants and animals in beautiful patterns. 

Francisca passed away in 2020 at the age of 70 from respiratory complications. The smoke from cooking fires and steam from traditional Tamazcales (translated as “house of heat") detrimentally effected her lungs. Her entire family was able to gather with Francisca before her passing and she will be remembered for her incredible generosity and profound artistry.

About the Muralist
Alexa Eliana Chumpitaz is a Latinx, full-time, visual artist based in Raleigh, North Carolina. She graduated from East Carolina University with a Bachelor in Fine Arts degree in Illustration in 2015. She currently works part-time for The NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), which protects North Carolina's environment and natural resources as an education and outreach graphic designer. Whenever not working digitally, she freelances and collaborates as a traditional artist, primarily focusing on painting and illustration. To this date, she has completed two collaborative art installations that have been featured throughout the east coast of the United States and 13 murals, ten of which celebrate Latinx culture.

Artist Statement

“The mural will celebrate the biodiversity of Western North Carolina, the ecology there, specifically from the perspective of a Latinx artist paying homage to the diversity of its community, with its large Guatemalan population. I grew up on the east coast of North Carolina and am now establishing myself in the Piedmont. In the past three years, I started exploring the foothills and mountains of this beautiful and diverse state, and look forward to learning more in future adventures. I hope that others can resonate with this celebratory piece, created by my paintbrush and love of our home’s backyard.

The Monarch was an important element of the mural from the start. There is so much symbolism in butterflies themselves, which is why I love to incorporate them in my designs representing transformation, change, identity...plus they are so vibrant and beautiful! The migration of the Monarch (in Eastern North America making a long, migratory journey to the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico) is similar to the story of many Latinx families. 

I so appreciate the struggles my parents went through, just so that I could have a better life here. I am a first-generation American, on both sides of my Peruvian family, and my parents never hesitated to support my decision to be an artist. This mural is important, not just for me, but for others who need a vision of hope. For me, it demonstrates that you can make an impact as a Latinx-American woman! I want my art to engage, educate, and empower all types of people, in different walks of life, and this is why this mural means so much to me. 

I wanted to create a depiction of the Catawba River Basin that brings the fauna and flora, the backyard of Western North Carolina, to the forefront incorporating the figure of a Latina woman. The figure is bringing life into the rest of the mural, her hair turning into the water. This is inspired by the culture of the Catawba Native Americans which was very matriarchal.

I chose the Catawba River because it is such an important resource spanning over two hundred miles between North and South Carolina, providing energy to a growing population with 1.7 million people depending on its resources. With that being said, in the past, there hasn’t been proper water use education, and along with environmental strains (such as droughts, climate change) and the 11 dams that are on the river, American Rivers declared the Catawba endangered, in 2008. Thankfully, communities came together and made significant improvements to decrease negative impacts on the river. I want people to know how important this basin is to the biodiversity of the region, and how we can make a significant impact on the health of our environment.”