In the days following the attack at Pulse nightclub, I began drawing portraits of the 49 people who were killed on June 12, 2016. It was a way of privately working through the sadness and anger I was feeling. The drawings evolved into a series of illuminated paper bags (farolitos) reminiscent of the Luminaria tradition practiced in the southwest and Latin America.

At the time, several events were taking place here in San Diego to honor those who had died in Orlando. I presented the installation on the stage of the Pride Stonewall Rally, a vigil at St. Paul’s Cathedral, and at The Art of Pride exhibit. As interest in the project spread, my intention was to pay tribute to the lives lost on June 12, 2016, and to create a space where people felt safe to express their grief, share their feelings, and open conversations about gun control.

Since the initial events in San Diego, Orlando: 49 Farolitos has been shown at dozens of venues across the country including a panel discussion in New Haven, MA between law enforcement and the LGBTQ+ community, a seven-location tour in Lincoln, NE for their Pride week, The Harmony House, Topeka, KS, and Grace Cathedral, San Francisco.