En Root
2026
Plywood, lumber, latex paint, soil, plants
130' x 242' x 186'
New Brunswick, NJ

En Root is a temporary monument dedicated to the migrant and immigrant workers who have built, shaped, and nourished New Brunswick. This installation is part of the New Jersey Monuments to Migration and Labor (NJMML) project, which seeks to honor, uplift, and amplify the voices of immigrant workers across New Jersey.

At the heart of En Root is the monarch butterfly. Monarchs undertake an extraordinary migration journey from central Mexico to the United States and Canada. New Brunswick lies along this migratory route and provides summer habitat for monarchs to feed and reproduce. Because monarchs represent free movement, perseverance, and journeys, both difficult and hopeful, that connect people and places across borders, they’ve become a galvanizing symbol for immigrant rights and solidarity.

This monument is a network of pollinator planters scattered across New Brunswick, all supporting monarch butterflies. The anchor installation functions as a gateway structure, offering a welcoming gesture as an entrance and threshold into War Memorial Park, an important public community space affectionately known as Parque Oaxaca by locals. The piece also serves as a backdrop for events and gatherings throughout the installation's duration.

Together, this anchor piece and fifteen satellite planters form a single distributed living monument. The planters serve multiple purposes: they provide critical habitat for monarchs, offer information and resources for the community, and symbolize solidarity, belonging, and community care. The title En Root evokes both movement and groundedness. It’s a play on “en route,” meaning on the way, and “enroot,” meaning to embed.

The monument was shaped by the New Brunswick community. Since May 2025, residents have shared stories of migration and labor, envisioned their ideal monuments, identified meaningful sites, and provided feedback throughout the entire design process. Community members also planted the gardens and painted the butterfly patterns on the surface of this piece. This monument belongs to this community.

Acknowledgements

Artist/Designer: Chat Travieso

Structural Engineering: TYLin

Landscape Architect: Alexis Lo, MLA

Ecologist: Elena Tartaglia, Ph.D.

Construction: Mar and J Contracting LLC

Artist Assistant: Peyton Chiang

Central Jersey Regional Lead Community Partner: coLAB Arts

Central Jersey Community Partners: Caritas Program at Holy Family Parish, New Brunswick Tomorrow, and Unity Square Neighborhood Revitalization Project New Jersey

NJMML Project Director: Andrew Urban

NJMML Postdoctoral Fellow: Arlene Fernández

NJMML Public Art Consultant: Via Partnership

NJMML Website and Project Designer: Chantal Fischzang

NJMML Graphic Design Intern: Estrellita Matheu Roca, Department of Arts, Culture & Media, Rutgers University, Newark

NJMML Promotion: Think Big Picture

NJMML Facilitation Training and Support: coLAB Arts

Commissioned for New Jersey Monuments to Migration and Labor (www.njmml.com), with funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Pollinator habitat was created with support from the Xerces Society and Pineland Nursery.

Special thanks to:

All the community members who attended one or more of the community events for this monument; and Adriana Morales, Aliza Schiff, Ally Garcia, Amanda Gravenhise, Angel Fuentes-Pesquera, Ashley Suarez, Brandy J. Alexander, Brandon Truett, Carolina Moratti, Cecilia Morales, Charles Bergman, Christina Briskin, Dan Swern, Diana Diaz, Emily Blumenfeld, Hanna Cherres, Jasmine Carmichael, Jeff Key, Jessica Diaz, Jessie Garcia, John Keller, Johanny Zabala, Kaitlyn Nickerson, Melissa Katkó Pepin, Michelle Gil, Ricarda Garcia, Rory Pacheco, Stacey Surguy, Sylvia Chan-Malik, Victoria Masteller, Yeimy Gamez Castillo, the American Hungarian Foundation, the City of New Brunswick, New Labor, Newest Americans/Newark Story Bus, Rutgers Public Humanities Initiative, Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, and Zimmerli Mobile.

Satellite Planter Participating Organizations and Schools: the American Hungarian Foundation, the City of New Brunswick, coLAB Arts, Consulate of Mexico, New Brunswick Free Public Library, New Brunswick Health Sciences Technology High School, New Brunswick Middle School, New Brunswick Tomorrow, Pathways Middle School, P-TECH, Robert J. Boyler Elementary School, Roosevelt Elementary School, Rutgers American Studies Department, RWJUH Community Health, Unity Square Feaster Park Community Garden, and Zimmerli Art Museum

Elena Tartaglia wrote the “About Monarch Butterflies” section.

Andrew Urban and Arlene Fernández wrote the “Defined by Migration and Labor: New Brunswick Through These Lenses” section.

Barbara Ferreira Gomes Cabral and Rutgers Immigrant Community Assistance Project (RICAP) wrote the “Community Resources” handout.