Before the spring of 2022, Fort Worth-born artist Juan Velazquez had never stepped foot in Uvalde.
“I didn’t even know it was there or even heard anything about it,” Velazquez said. “I remember looking around and thinking like, man, I’m not even sure I’m ever going to come back here.”
But after the shooting at Robb Elementary that killed 19 students and two teachers, he and a group of North Texas artists traveled to Uvalde to paint a mural in honor of 10-year-old Alithia Ramirez, one of the student victims, who loved art and drawing. It was part of a project bringing together artists from all over the country to collaborate…