In a Texas summer marked with record high temperatures, artists worked tirelessly on the Uvalde Murals. Hispanic artists came from across the state to help create giant portraits of each victim. And they believe that the murals will help the devastated community to heal.

Just over four months have passed since the May 24 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The loss of 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary is a wound in the small dusty town.

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Uvalde Murals celebrate lives

Abel Ortiz, an Uvalde college art teacher is the project's creator. He wanted 21 murals to celebrate the lives of the victims of the massacre.

Ortiz said that "We never want to forget their faces. That's why they had to be murals of portraits and not just regular murals."

When he started the project, he was not sure how to proceed. And he didn’t personally know 21 artists that could do the murals. He asked Monica Maldonado for help. And the Austin artist drove the 3-hours to Uvalde in May.

Each of the outdoor murals is dedicated to a lost life. The paintings on bricks memorialize each of the victims. And their images are surrounded by the things their loved ones believe defined them. Their successes in sports or their hobbies and interests surround them. Baseball, track, TikTok, pets and SpongeBob are present at the outdoor gallery. Some have the art of handwriting recreated in their mural.

The loss is catastrophic. And Uvalde will always celebrate the lives they lost.

Kelly Clarkson recently did a show featuring the Uvalde Murals. And she donated $10,000 to help complete and preserve the project.

No closure for the families

Families of the Robb Elementary victims are continuing to protest. They want a transparent process that holds town authorities and the UCISD police officers present the day of the shooting fully accountable.

In September, classes began again at Uvalde Elementary. Most of the returning students hadn’t walked in those halls since the day of the tragedy.

And late in September families of three students who survived the Uvalde school massacre filed a federal lawsuit. They are seeking damages. And accuse the school district, the city of Uvalde and law-enforcement officials of “significant failures” and of “negligence, recklessness, and nuisance allegations.”