These are not my tears

Just the dew that lingers here

Across the streets where you lie

In the garden among other fathers

Who kept their daughters better than I

— JiM VUE —

written for his daughter Ghia Nah

Grief has always been present in the stories and relationship developed at In Progress. Over time, we found a solemnity of sorrow in carrying with grief until we experienced the passing of one of our youngest artist - Ghia Nah Vue. Ghia was a force of love and curiosity. She sought to make new friends at every turn and ran through our halls introducing herself to others and then introducing them to others. At her young age she built community as she brought a new definition of belonging to those who had the privilege of knowing her.

On June 4, 2017 our relationship to grief changed dramatically. It became sobering in a way many of us had not quite experienced, and since that time, our grief has resonated throughout almost everything we do. Over the years, we have sought to confront our grief with Ghia by creating a garden, tended by family and loved ones. We have also been moved by the collective grief that comes to us through acknowledging the many people that are a part of our In Progress community. The result is a mural that honors the grief we carry for those no longer living within this world.

OUR JOURNEY OF CREATION

In 2022, the process of creating the Rainwatcher Mural began.

Muralist Xee Reiter joined parents Sai Thao and Jim Vue in a series of conversations—asking how grief, so often carried in silence, might be expressed visually and shared communally. The mural would come wrapped around a garden, built and tended to by Sai and Jim’s love of their daughter Ghia Nah Vue.

What followed was four years of tears, reflection, revision, and return. This mural is the result—not only an offering to Ghia and her family, but to all the artists, families, and spirits who walk with grief at In Progress.

While many stories informed its creation, several are reflected directly in the mural. These stories follow below, woven into the elements and symbols that shape The Rainwatcher Mural: