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Image: andremanica.com
Following the tragic Orlando shooting last month, one artist found a unique way to honour the victims: with a mural on her neighbour’s garage door.
28-year-old Andrea Manica is a freelance illustrator, mural and sign painter living in Toronto, Canada. She created the beautiful tribute after a local woman contacted her looking to transform her garage door into a vibrant art piece.
“A woman named Victoria Barrington had her garage door behind her home tagged with graffiti,” Manica explained, “She wanted to paint over it with a mural so she reached out to me. While we were talking about ideas as to what to paint, the Orlando attack at Pulse happened.”
Image: andremanica.com
The attack carried out at a gay nightclub in Orlando was the worst mass shooting in US history, leaving 49 people dead and 53 injured. Around the world, millions mourned the tragedy. Hundreds attended vigils in Norwich to remember the victims.
Manica had been working on a floral design for the garage door mural, but following the tragedy, both she and Barrington felt that it was only right to dedicate the mural to the victims.
“I came up with the idea to commemorate each life with a rainbow coloured rose,” Manica said.
The rainbow is often used as a symbol of pride and solidarity for the LGBT+ community. The colours reflect diversity. For Barrington, the design was a loving tribute that focused on the lives of the victims and not their tragic deaths.
Image: andremanica.com
After sharing an image of the mural on Facebook and Instagram, Manica was overwhelmed by the hundreds of likes and comments from people inspired by her work. Before long, the story had been covered by national news outlets including ABC News.
“I had no idea that the image would circulate and impact so many people. It shows that art can reach further than you expect and be a political and emotional force,” Manica said.
At Automated Garage Doors & Gates, we were blown away by Manica’s mural. It’s certainly the most special garage door we’ve seen! Share your thoughts with us on Facebook and on Twitter at @AutoDoorsGates.
