Miracle Flower — Central theatre
Miracle Flower — Central Theatre
Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas stands as the sole ‘urban’ national park in the United States of America. It also stole a big piece of my heart.
“Manataka,” famous for its healing waters, has been a meeting place for tribes and council leaders for at least 10,000 years. They gathered rare plants and minerals there, showing unbound respect for the natural springs.
The spa town has long catered to both the entertainment and healing needs of visitors to this truly magical place.
Lee Standing Bear Moore
“Everyone sought healing and pleasure in the magical hot waters of Nówâ-sa-lon (Breath of Healing) that spewed from the sides of the mountain, creating dozens of crystal clear pools. No one was allowed to enter the sacred area, called the ‘Valley of Vapors’ carrying a weapon into the sacred area decreed by the Great Mystery as the ‘Place of Peace.’ No fighting or discord was allowed. Should anyone violate these laws, they were taken outside the valley and severely punished.”
CENTRAL THEATRE
The historic Central Theater , built in the 1930s, holds the distinction of being the oldest stage and motion picture theater in town.
Christopher Rix is a beautiful and eccentric visionary if there ever was one. He acquired the place in 2020. After decades of closure, the building needed a tremendous labor of love to recover from long neglect.
Its ‘industrial chic’ doors opened in 2021. It now hosts a diverse range of events under the glitz of a giant disco ball, that has become the unofficial symbol of the theater’s modern reincarnation. The venue welcomes local talent with arms wide open, offering far more tricked out and cool than most could possibly imagine. Central Theatre’s special sauce is a perfect blend of historically saturated grunge, a whole lotta hard work, and a couple stiff shots of swank to the face. You desperately wish this place lived in your neighbourhood.
When not pushing around paint with a stick, I caught a few high-energy open-mic jam nights, steamy burlesque of international calibre, and a couple raucous drag shows. The sound and lighting systems are top-notch, launching this palace of diversity, transformation, and cultural rebirth many country miles beyond your standard community theatre setup.
TOOLS OF HEALING
I drove my road weary self into Hot Springs right after a big commercial EN MASSE gig in nearby Houston, Texas, on an invitation from one of my favourite muralists in the world, Danae Brissonet. It was Danae that introduced me one fateful day to Chris Rix.
In our initial conversation about painting the front of his building, I naturally asked if there was a budget set aside for the project.
“Zero dollars.”
“Ok…that’s an interesting number. Will you buy the paint?”
“No problem.”
“ When can I start?”
A drunken master at the negotiations table, I was thrilled with the prospects of this new project, playing perfect counterpoint to the beast I’d just wrapped up in the dirty urban sprawl of Houston.
As Chris toured me through his bigger picture of community cultural revitalization, I knew my work belonged in this place, despite non-existent budgets and risky leaps of faith.
I’m often of the mind that money doesn’t matter so much, especially when exploring murals as tools for healing.
From the moment work began, it became difficult to describe the blossoming relationship between Chris and I. It’s worth going into detail, but I’ll do so in the context of a second and much more significant part of these Central Theatre adventures, which will provide far greater insight into an incredible ongoing conversation about cultural value that continues to unfold in magical ways to date.
As you can see from the photos on this page, the building got prettied up with a painted bunch of buoyantly blue Echinacea flowers on his building.
THE MIRACLE FLOWER
First Nation communities considered Echinacea a miracle flower for its powerful natural remedy capacity.
Emerging from powerful herbal roots, its panacea has become a potent symbol of healing and recovery, frequently a subject in stories of triumph over illness and hardship.
From a metaphysical perspective, the plant embodies qualities of acceptance and tolerance. It affirms the creative potential of all who bring something of value to the table, be it diverse experiences, perspectives, or personal wisdom.
Traditionally, the herb is related to Cerridwen. She is the Celtic goddess of the underworld, of rebirth, transformation, and inspiration. Cerridwen is also considered a shapeshifter.
Could this flower be a better fit for the Central Theatre?
Lemme doubt that for a minute.
A JOURNEY OF CHANGE
Stepping into Hot Springs, I found myself deeply challenging my relationship to transactional exchange as an artist. I was actively exploring a more diverse range of possible ‘survival currencies‘.
Over at least a two week window of production, Chris did not once nag or fret over the undefined and unconventional nature of our exchange in the project. We shared only in holding space for a creative carte Blanche that would eventually have a big impact on town. Most ‘clients’ would be extremely uncomfortable with that level of trust in an organically unfolding process.
Chris gave me tons of space and grace in support of the process, from day one. In the end, the quality of our relational exchange is of far greater value than projects of this scale could ever afford transactionally. For that I am eternally grateful, and perhaps a bit like Cerridwen, profoundly shifted in artistic shape and possibilities by this opportunity.
