Uvalde shooting’s 21 victims honored with artists’ murals

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More than 21 vibrant murals cover the town of Uvalde after artists from all over Texas created memorials to the victims of the Robb Elementary school shooting.

“The downtown has been turned into this open air gallery. Educating [people], not only about the kids, but their stories and their lives,” said Abel Ortiz-Acosta, a local art teacher and organizer of the mural project.

Ortiz-Acosta worked with MAS Cultura, an Austin-based group that supports Latino artists, to pair artists with families of the victims. Family members shared details of their loved ones’ lives to create the personalized murals.

In July and August, the artists worked though hundred-degree heat and deep into the night to create the portraits. An occasional car would cruise slowly by, or stop to take photos of their progress. Residents brought the artists water, burgers and tacos and stopped to thank them for their work on the project.

Families and friends of the people who died also picked up paint brushes to contribute to the artwork.

“That’s the whole idea of some of these murals. That’s why we allow the families to come in and fill in an area,” Ortiz-Acosta said. “This is your family, this is part of your life. But it’s also part of the history of this community. In that sense, the healing begins with these murals.”

In late October, artists from San Antonio added the last touches to the final mural of the project, titled “Don’t Forget Their Names.” In this mural, all 21 victims are represented together.

“We’re never going to forget them, their faces — that’s why they had to be portraits,” Ortiz-Acosta said. “The murals provide a place where [the families] can celebrate. In the cemetery it’s somber. Here, it’s a celebration of their lives.”

Makenna Lee Elrod

East Nopal Street and U.S. Route 83

Layla Salazar

North East Street and East Nopal Street

Maranda Mathis

West Roberts Lane and North West Street

A mural in memory of Miranda Mathis near the town plaza in Uvalde, on Sept. 6, 2022. — A mural in memory of Maranda Mathis on the side of the law office of Jerry D. Evans near the town plaza in Uvalde on Sept. 6.

Credit:
Evan L’Roy/The Texas Tribune

Eva Mireles

North East Street and East Nopal Street

Maggie Mireles cries as she watches friends and family help to finish a mural in memory of her sister, Eva Mireles, in Uvalde on July 17, 2022. Each of the 21 victims of the Robb Elementary shooting will receive a mural painted by artists from across Texas. — Maggie Mireles cries as she watches people finish the mural in memory of her sister, Eva Mireles, in Uvalde on July 17.

Credit:
Evan L’Roy/The Texas Tribune

Rojelio Torres

115 N. West St.

Tess Marie Mata

114 W. Main St.

Jose Manuel Flores Jr.

North East Street and East Nopal Street

Eliahna “Ellie” Amyah Garcia

115 N. West St.

A mural in memory of Eliahna Garcia in of near the town plaza in Uvalde, on Sept. 6, 2022. — A mural in memory of Eliahna “Ellie” Amyah Garcia on the side of a Security Finance building near the town plaza in Uvalde on Sept. 6.

Credit:
Evan L’Roy/The Texas Tribune

Maite Rodriguez

North East Street and East Nopal Street

Ana Rodriguez paints a small blue fish as part of the mural in memory of daughter, Maite, with the help of her sons, Adrean and Caleb, in Uvalde July 24, 2022. — Ana Rodriguez and her sons, Adrean and Caleb, paint a small blue fish as part of the mural in memory of her daughter, Maite, in Uvalde on July 24.

Credit:
Evan L’Roy for The Texas Tribune

Family and friends of Maite Rodriguez gather to watch the painting process for the mural in her memory in Uvalde July 24, 2022. — Family members and friends of Maite Rodriguez gather to watch the painting of the mural in Uvalde on July 24.

Credit:
Evan L’Roy for The Texas Tribune

First: Friends and family members look at the mock-up of Maite’s mural. Last: Ana Rodriguez, wearing green Converse earrings, paints a small blue fish on the mural on July 24.

Credit:
Evan L’Roy/The Texas Tribune

Annabell Rodriguez

North East Street and East Nopal Street