BIG SPRING, Texas — There is unrest across our country – even here in West Texas.
A group of protestors took the streets of downtown Midland for a third night in a row Tuesday. They’re protesting racial injustice after a black man, George Floyd, was killed at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer May 25.
At the word of demonstrator’s presence downtown, the city and county closed all downtown offices Tuesday.
There’s a lot of noise.
There is a lot of hurt.
An artist in Big Spring is attempting to get to the heart of the issue.
Desiree Ripple
When words fail us, we let art speak.
Artists across Texas are using buildings as their canvas; painted with intent to spark emotion and a tough conversation.
“With everything that’s happening in the world, I wanted to create a powerful message,” said Big Spring artist Rae Ripple.
Ripple says it’s time our landmarks do the talking in West Texas.
“I wanted to paint this bridge a long time ago. It was going to say something completely different,” Ripple said.
Call it a change of heart, over the weekend Ripple decided the old Benton St. bridge needed a new message.
“I called our city mayor on Sunday to ask for forgiveness and not permission. They came through and were 100% on board,” she said.
Desiree Ripple
Suspended from the bridge at the old rail yard, Ripple let her heart do the talking.
“Just overall, it was a beautiful scary experience,” she said.
Her message aiming to bridge a gap between our differences, getting to the core of the one thing beats inside all of us.
“This is my way of saying we need more love in this world and less hate,” Ripple said. “We need to come together. We can’t love. Once we learn to love, I feel like it will never be able to be defeated.”
As people drive through Big Spring, they’ll see her work – “You can’t defeat love.”
The right message, at exactly the right time.
