‘So be it! See to it!’ Bus shelter mural honors acclaimed author Octavia Butler

Revered science fiction and Afrofuturism author Octavia Butler received international accolades and inspired generations of readers worldwide – and continues to be recognized and beloved in the corner of Lake Forest Park she called home.

Fans now can enjoy a new moment of reflection and remembrance at a Metro bus stop mural honoring Butler, at Ballinger Way Northeast and Northeast 175th Street and across from the largest bookstore in town. The bus stop artwork joins other recognition worthy of a trip to Lake Forest Park that includes visiting Octavia Butler Avenue and a massive mural inside Third Place Commons.

Linocut artists Eileen Jimenez and Andrea Marcos collaborated with Sam Smith in Metro’s Transit Route Facilities section to develop, create and install the mural to honor the memory and timeless contributions of Butler.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to be able to reflect on the work of an artist,” Eileen Jimenez said. “I grew up riding the bus and wish I had been able to see art like this at bus stops!”

“It’s an honor to be a part of this project,” Andrea Marcos said. “The work of Octavia Butler was extremely transformative in my life and because I love public transit, this nexus of those things was particularly meaningful.”

This new mural joins Metro’s sprawling gallery of 1,300 bus shelter murals across King County, showcasing the work of hundreds of artists and honoring leaders throughout the region’s history.

“Octavia Butler’s writing has always inspired me to strive for a better world, and I truly believe in the power of public transit to contribute to that better world,” Sam Smith said. “I am so honored I got to work with these amazing artists to bring Octavia’s legacy to a Metro bus stop in her community.”

About two dozen people turned out for the streetside ceremonial unveiling of the mural, including Lake Forest Park city leaders.

“Celebration of the arts and a local artist is absolutely critical, and Octavia was a real inspiration to so many people in the region, around the world, and our community as well,” Mayor Tom French said. “She really created a broad impact for our community.”

The mural rounds out an emerging Octavia Butler trail that includes Octavia Butler Avenue, a massive mural inside Third Place Commons and now the bus shelter mural, said Lake Forest Park Deputy Mayor Tracy Furutani.

Artist statement

Inspired by both Octavia Butler’s work and the author’s creative process, linocut artists Eileen Jimenez and Andrea Marcos pulled from journals and interviews to create two portraits of Octavia, alongside notes she wrote to herself, printed in her own handwriting. We hope her words call us all into telling stories boldly, and just doing the damn thing. So be it! See to it! 

Eileen Jimenez is an IndigiQueer leader, community member, educator. Her mother is Maria Cruz, her grandmother is Eloisa, and her great grandmother is Ysidora, matriarchs of the Ñätho (Otomi Peoples of Michoacan/Guanajuato, Mexico). Eileen uses printmaking and mixed-media techniques to develop her own ways of telling stories in the complex layers that they exist in, as well as to demonstrate the ways that we are connected to the Land and to each other. In her current body of work, she focuses on the embodiment of the divine that is manifested through our bodies and our hands specifically. In her work, you will also see her commitment to centering the stories of joy that flow through our communities.  Find Eileen on Instagram @maese.art.by.eileen.jimenez & online at: www.eileenjimenez.com

Andrea Marcos is a queer community-taught linocut printmaker, educator, nerd, graphics maker, aries-youngest-child, dedicated to collective liberation and radical imagination.⁠ Instagram @drea.marcos