Rainbow Bridge mural restored by volunteer artists

Creating one of La Conner's most popular works of public art back in the day was no walk in the park.

But it began with one.

The idea for sprucing up the walking trail beneath the Rainbow Bridge with a colorful thematic mural project evolved from a hike there by La Conner resident Jane Stephens nearly a quarter-century ago.

"I've always walked there," Stephens told the Weekly News Sept. 1 during a phone interview from Corvallis, Oregon, where she was visiting family.

"Our son Andy, was going to graduate in 1999 and the seniors (at La Conner High School) needed public service hours as part of their graduation requirement," she recalled. "There was so much graffiti, a lot of it offensive," added Stephens, "that I got the idea to see if we could replace it with some public art there and give the seniors an opportunity to do the public service they needed to graduate."

So, Stephens turned to La Conner artist, Maggie Wilder, local service clubs and then-La Conner Superintendent of Schools Tim Bruce to make the mural idea a reality.

Wilder, assisted by the high school seniors –Anni Mizuta, most notably – adorned the cement pillars and wall area below Rainbow Bridge with images highlighting the park's foliage and animals, a part of the area seemingly forever.

Fast forward to last week and Wilder was back on the scene leading a corps of "artists and aspiring artists" in a long-planned mural restoration effort.

"It's been fabulous how people have showed up to help," Wilder said of the project, which had been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. "Their skills levels have been great and it's been just the right size crew."

She has been aided in the mission by Annabelle Vergne, Lynn Federspiel-Young, Lynn Beebe, Susan Schanen and Patty Klamser, among others, including those who donated paint.

Wilder said the original paint had weathered well over time. Some mural imagery had been dulled through the years, however, from debris having spilled and fallen from the span above.

The restoration took Wilder up on a ladder and had her leaning perilously over a wall top to refresh mural surfaces.

"Next time," she quipped, "they'll probably have to get somebody else. I don't know that I'll be up for being on a ladder then."

Wilder recalled Stephens had initially proposed painting a mural beneath the bridge in late 1997 after a major windstorm had snapped off trees in the park. Apparently, some healthy cedars and firs were mistakenly removed during the clean-up work.

"Jane felt these trees needed to be commemorated and her idea grew," Wilder said. "Then, it was decided that an inventory should be taken of the trees and creatures that had lived in Pioneer Park in our lifetimes."

That inspired the shapes and symbols selected for the mural. A formal description of the project, entitled "A Place of Dancing Cedars," was painted prominently on a bridge pillar.

"During the winter of 1998 we began our search for a vision of a mural that would replace idle graffiti and honor the natural world our city park provides," reads the message, penned by Stephens. "Completed the following August, the mural you see commemorates the shadow-play of forest foliage, cedars and maple. The band of animals represents friends we revere, present, past and future who we hope will continue to inspire us with awe and wonder and who are blessed by this place, as we are."

Stephens gained the support of La Conner Rotarians and Kiwanians. Mizuta and her classmates answered the call, mindful of their school-mandated public service commitments.

Mizuta, said Stephens, "was very dedicated and creative."

Bruce helped navigate the necessary paperwork and permit process with Skagit County, which owns Rainbow Bridge, Wilder said.

"He (Bruce) is always for the arts," insisted Stephens.

"He had some clout," added Wilder. "He made the magic happen."

Stephens stressed that Wilder, too, is a magician – especially when grasping a paintbrush.

"Maggie wanted to get it done right," Stephens said of the mural designs. "And people have respected the mural. I'm absolutely glad that Maggie and the volunteers are doing this. There's nothing quite like public art.