Camp Fire Five Year Memorial Mandala

Dear Friend of Unity Through Creativity,

Our hearts are with all the people in our world going through disasters - from those dealing with the destruction of human violence to those dealing with catastrophic consequences of recent weather disasters. These include the floods in the east of the U.S. and the fires happening now in Los Angeles.

Five years after the Camp Fire in 2018, the deadliest fire in California history, Singing Tree Facilitator Bobbie Rae Jones invited people whose lives were impacted by the fire to envision and create a new future. They created the chalk mandala shown below. In times like these it is important for us to harness the power of art to grieve together and remember the beauty of the world we’ve all been blessed with.

Camp Fire Five Year Memorial Mandala

"I'm reminded of the oak and the acorn and the struggle to become something strong and beautiful through adversity." -Rebekah Dodson, Camp Fire Survivor

May we all stay safe, keep our hearts open and help our neighbors.

The UTC Team

The End of the Year - The Beginning of Another

Veteran Jesse Brown, Singing Tree Facilitator Fernanda Lugo and Founder Laurie Marshall keep growing the message of The Cottonwood Singing Tree of Tapping the Aquifer of Goodwill Amidst the Storm.

Dear Friend of Unity Through Creativity,

As the Light starts growing, we'd like to celebrate this season of "Peace on Earth" with our short video of the El Paso International Day of Peace Symposium at the University of Texas at El Paso. May it lift you up.

Below are three talented El Paso teens who came to Keystone Heritage Park's Mystical Market and added to The Cottonwood Singing Tree of Tapping the Aquifer of Goodwill Amidst the Storm.  You can see their delightful artwork under their photo, as well as a "Magic" leaf drawn by a Folklorist who attended the American Folklore Society conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  The Singing Tree Project welcomes the unique creativity of everyone on the planet and look what happens!

Singing Tree murals evolve with the stories of the communities they grow out of.  After the election, a ring of mushrooms appeared in my Texas backyard.  I was glad to see them as a harbinger of healthy soil, community and underground connections. Artist Serena Ornelas painted them on the mural.

Another special event occurred that affected the mural: On Dec. 4, 2024, 77 native Desert Big Horn Sheep were released in El Paso's Franklin Mountains, returning them after they disappeared 60 years ago. These magnificent creatures have also found their way onto the mural. 

Tapping the Aquifer of Goodwill Amidst the Storm

Detail from The Cottonwood Singing Tree of Tapping the Aquifer of Goodwill Amidst the Storm designed by El Paso Singing Tree Facilitators.

Dear Friend of Unity Through Creativity,

As we come to the end of 2024 and look ahead to next year, we are asking you to help lay the foundation for a successful 2025. This year, 12 new Singing Trees have been added to the Forest, with 1401 people making art together and discovering how much goodness they receive from each other.

At UTC, we renew our commitment every day to build a society that is multi-racial, multi-religious, and multi-cultural. We practice envisioning the world we stand for, a world that is connected, creative, and collaborative.  We strive to make the power and possibility of working together big, loud and beautiful.  We continue to work towards a world that can create together in freedom, love, and respect.  

Our most recent mural, The Cottonwood Singing Tree of Tapping the Aquifer of Goodwill Amidst the Storm, was part of the November 2024 American Folklore Society's academic conference in Albuquerque, N.M. The painting expresses the theme of this gathering of storytellers, researchers and anthropologists.  Dr. Maureen Porter of University of Pittsburgh and I (see photo below) presented the Singing Tree Mural Project as a form of folk art that invites the whole world to be creative collaborators outside formal cultural institutions. Maureen and I are standing in front of The Singing Tree of What Makes America Great, made in 2017, with the Cottonwood mural background on the left.

Pictured below four members of the El Paso Team of Kristi Lai, Patti Reyes, Rachel Quintana, and I (left to right); unfortunately team member Fernanda Lugo  is not in this picture. Together we spent an intensive two weeks designing, painting, and preparing the background of the mural for the conference.

The Cottonwood Singing Tree mural portrays the Zapatistas of Chiapas, Mexico to honor those who advocate for wealth reform and justice.  These women use paint brushes instead of weapons. The underground rivers of our planet are a symbol of unstoppable goodwill. The handprints of Eliana, granddaughter of Rachel Quintana, imprint the turquoise aquifer because making decisions for the next seven generations of the children is the guiding concern. The tornado represents the storm of these troubled times: powerful, unpredictable, deadly, and here. One of leaves created at the Folklore conference  (above left) says "I AM THE STORM OF LOVE COMING!"

That is the task ahead: to meet the storm of these troubled times with a storm of love, a storm of respect, a storm of the warmth and light of human connection. That is the work of the Singing Tree.

In Community,

Laurie and the UTC Team