“On May 25, Minneapolis (MN) police officers arrested George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, after a convenience store employee called 911 and told the police that Mr. Floyd had bought cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill. Seventeen minutes after the first squad car arrived at the scene, Mr. Floyd was unconscious and pinned beneath three police officers, showing no signs of life.”
New York Times, May 31, 2020
After the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, protest broke out in the city of Minneapolis, MN, which sparked a resurgence of Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests around the world. BLM was founded in 2013 after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, who was 17 years old at the time of his death. BLM started as a social media initiative but grew into a global movement that works to intervene in the violence inflicted upon Black communities and eradicate white supremacy.
Salina citizens responded to the death of George Floyd with peaceful marches and vigils. The first vigil was organized by the local NAACP chapter and held in Caldwell Plaza on May 30. The following day there was a citizen-organized march from The Temple down Santa Fe to Caldwell Plaza. There have been several events organized since the marches, and new community groups have formed and developed initiatives that address police reform in Salina. Local artists have also been influential in the #BLM movement. Priti Cox has created chalk and seed art portraits of victims of police violence, and the Kansas Figure Drawing Group created portraits to remember those who have died.
Many museums have responded to the recent protests by collecting signs, images, and stories from the people involved. As museums work to record this history as it unfolds, the Art Center has also asked community members to document the marches and movements that have grown out of our local #BLM initiatives. In this gallery, we are exhibiting the signs from marchers and work from local artists. We invite you to participate and add your voice.