38th & Chicago

Minneapolis / MN / 2020

In July, I visited the memorial that grew after the gruesome death of George Floyd at the busy intersection of 38th and Chicago in Minneapolis. I was expecting one or two memorial shrines but discovered several areas with flowers, art, handwritten letters, posters, stuffed animals, toys, candle stubs and murals. A church with a racially mixed band set up a stage on Chicago Avenue and was singing lively praise songs and quoting scripture. Visitors were respectfully viewing the memorial collection as if in a museum.

Minneapolis City Council Member, Andrea Jenkins, was quoted as saying, “The intersection at 38th and Chicago is the symbol of what is going on throughout America.” I took a photo of the first two names of fifty victims painted on the north bound lane of Chicago Avenue. With respect to the wishes of those who maintain the memorial, I did not remove any item on the street or part of the memorial. This simplified painting brings together two partial names, George Floyd, Jamar Clark, tea warmer candles and some silk flowers. My visit to the memorial was a sobering and emotional experience. It opened my mind to how others have responded to this impactfully sad event in Minneapolis and my own prejudices through the years.

In a blink of the eye...