PHOENIX — For months after George Floyd was killed by police in May 2020, people from around the world traveled to the site of his murder in Minneapolis and left signs, paintings and poems to memorialize the man whose death reignited a movement against systemic racism.
Hundreds of those artifacts are on display for the first time outside of Minnesota, giving viewers elsewhere the chance to engage with the emotionally raw protest art and mourn Floyd, as well as other Black Americans killed by police.
“It’s different than seeing it on TV,” said Leah Hall of Phoenix, who brought her two young children to the exhibit that opened this month at the Arizona State University Art Museum. “It’s an important part of history that they are not learning in school,” said Hall, adding that she wasn’t able to fly to Minneapolis to honor Floyd’s life.
Racial Injustice George Floyd Exhibition
Jeanelle Austin, director of the George Floyd Global Memorial, talks Jan. 12 about “Twin Flames: The George Floyd Uprising from Minneapolis to Phoenix,” at Arizona State University Art Museum in Tempe, Ariz.