CHARLOTTE — Charlotte artists are using their work to honor two young lives lost to bullying and spark a conversation about mental health.
“On the side of my truck, it says ‘Art is not only in museums,’” said Rosalia Torres-Weiner, Red Calaca Studio. “So, people can go inside my truck and see art.”
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Her latest project will be stationary.
Torres-Weiner, Eva Crawford, and another artist plan to start painting a mural in June in South Charlotte.
The mural will include the names and faces of 13-year-old Gabriela Ortega and 11-year-old Jocelynn Carranza.
The families of both girls say they died by suicide after being bullied.
Jocelynn’s school district in Texas confirmed that a student bullied her over her immigration status.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month.
“My hope is that when people look at it, that they don’t just see a design or color or ‘Oh, that’s too bad’, but that they maybe reflect on what they have been through,” Crawford said.
Torres-Weiner and Crawford say they picked a spot off Nations Ford Road since it’s in an area with a large Hispanic population. They say they hope to turn a 1,400-square-foot white wall on the side of the Compare Foods shopping center at Arrowood and Nations Ford roads into a colorful space with a strong message.
“Kids are afraid,” said Torres-Weiner. “I am shaking just to think, at that age, they think about taking their lives. They’re afraid. They’re they go to school with that fear in their backpacks. They are afraid to be bullied.”
They hope that when people see the mural that it will spark a conversation and change.
“Teachers, talk to your kids. Parents, talk to your kids. Kids have that empathy for your classmates,” said Torres-Weiner.
The artists hope to finish the mural in about one month.
Click here if you would like to help.
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