Wear Orange Day is a national event to recognize gun violence survivors. In Houston, on June June 8 in 5th Ward’s Finnigan Park, a family-friendly day in the park invited the community out to participate in workshops, student performances, and Artivism Community Art’s community mural project. The event featured a “Survivors’ Space” – an area where survivors can meet, learn more about resources available to them, and learn coping skills from other survivors.
The splatter mural for gun violence awareness asked participants to consider the nature of violence and its rippling effects on the community. The act of throwing paint represents the nature of violence: it is sudden and quick. The lives lost and blood spilled are irreversible and far reaching. The variety of colors used within the community mural represent the variety of lives affected – gun violence is indiscriminate. Red for the color of blood, which is the same no matter who you are. Yellow represents the loss of innocence and possibility. Lastly, orange represents our fight for a future free from gun violence. As participants throw paint they are asked to be mindful of the actions they can take to end gun violence.