They call her Mama Bird
They call her Mama Bird, and she has a long, storied history of supporting her community with her art. Mama Bird has 5 of her own children and 10 grandchildren whom she loves dearly, but it was the countless other children and people she has supported over the years that gave her the nickname.
She has spent thousands of volunteer hours on dozens of community projects spanning her years in St. George Utah. Her artwork can be seen all over her community, from murals on elementary school walls, to props that helped fund drama departments, to events that benefited cancer charities.
Her work goes back decades. In 1989 she donated her time and talents to the Jubilee of Trees, a fundraising event that raises money for cancer research by auctioning off elaborate and specialty themed Christmas trees. Mama Bird’s tree took the highest honor of Mayor’s Choice.
For much of the 90’s Mama Bird regularly devoted her time and energy into helping plan and put on American Cancer Society fundraising galas. The events raised awareness and considerable funds for cancer research.
While Mama Bird is a talented artist, children have always been her passion, and her own children were no exception. As a devoted mother, when her children neared graduation age she was asked to help throw multiple grad-nights; a local tradition that is meant to help high school seniors celebrate graduation in a safe environment. Her huge elaborate sets were built to entertain hundreds of freshly graduated high school students at a family friendly all-night party. Entertaining one teenager is challenging, but hundreds is impossible and still she found a way. Many, now grown, members of her community carry those treasured memories with them to this day.
Mama Bird’s talents cover a multitude of disciplines from painting, to toy making, to costuming, to prop/set building, to concept design. She’s known for her unique approach in finding surprising solutions to challenging problems. If, at first, she doesn’t know how to build something, she will always find a way. For many years she was a regular face at a local high school where she built everything from a life-size elephant for Phantom of the Opera, to an oversized couch for Charlie Brown. Both props were sold to help keep the drama department funded.
It wasn’t just the drama departments that benefited from her unique talents. When the dance team needed camel costumes Mama Bird and her brother in law at Bird Metal Werks teamed up with the dance troop to build them in a style worthy of Broadway’s Lion King.
She can do it all, and her community has always been better for it.
We’ve seen and experienced her talent first hand. She’s the visionary behind Figmentation and our fabled Founder. With her skills and talents it’s no question Figmentation will make a difference.