Tears of America

This piece was created as a result of the March 2020 protests in response to the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and other incidents of police brutality. Carina wanted to create a piece to memorialize not only the more recent and well-known victims, but also those that spanned across different years. This piece was designed to be rich with symbolism. The flag pulls away from the colors of the flag that we typically associate with joyful holidays and bliss, and the Americana culture and design. The names have been written on the black stripes in their memory, but there is paint dripped across the piece to symbolize tears — of the victims, their loved ones, and throughout our country. The mesh on the middle black stripe is intended to symbolize those behind bars due to our prison industrial complex, and mass incarceration of Black Americans, particularly as a result of the war on drugs. The mesh also serves a dual purpose, hinting at historic events such as the Underground Railroad, which played a fundamental role in shaping today’s America, and the journey from that point in history until now. The stars have been replaced by representations of bullet holes, and a smoke-like effect has been applied throughout.