What is the Uvalde Love Project?
The Uvalde Love Project is a powerful healing mosaic project using art therapy and tile making to help support the survivors and community heal in Uvalde, Texas. Led by Wanda Montemayor and a team of therapists, this project resulted in a beautiful mosaic mural filled with thousands of handmade tiles, each telling a unique story. The Uvalde Love Project is a powerful example of how art therapy and community collaboration can bring hope, healing, and joy to a town in need.
DEDICATION!
The Uvalde Love Project has been able to complete our community healing mosaic mural, thanks to so many people and partners! Thank you again to all of the people of Uvalde for your trust and confidence. Thank you parents and children for sharing your stories and lives with us. Thank you teachers for your unwavering dedication to your students. Thank you to all of our partners who provided service and support for something bigger than all of us. And thanks to all who donated. We have seen hope start to shine through in the midst of the trials this past year has presented.
To celebrate the completion of the mosaic mural and the future of the Uvalde Love Project, a special dedication at the mosaic site - El Jardin de los Heroes Park - was held on August 26th beginning at 10:30 am with many community members attending, dancing, music, food and love..
Click here to see more about the event on Instagram Stories.
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Below is a small snapshot of the huge impact
your donations have made in the community of Uvalde.
🚙 Over 5,000 Miles traveled by our team from
Austin and San Antonio to Uvalde.
👨👩👧👦 Over 2,000 volunteers have created tiles
to contribute to this project.
🌮 40 Tacos and Tiles groups were run with children,
families, and teachers within the community of Uvalde.
🧑🎨 4 days were spent in Austin providing trauma informed training
to the Art teachers of Uvalde.
☀️ 2 weekends and 50 volunteers helped assemble
the mosaic mural at Jardin de los Heroes Park.
The Original Plan
A team of Art Therapists will lead a series of small workshops and group therapy that will help participants discover paths for healing, ways to celebrate the present, and foster the love they have for each other and their community. Each workshop or group will cater to different age groups, including adults, children, and teens (including students in school and those who are attending school from home).
The benefit of group therapy by age group is to allow more voices to be heard and learn from each other in a safe space for healing. It also provides connectedness that reaches beyond the sessions into the wider community. Our team of Art Therapists will also be meeting with teachers, tutors and city personnel to provide trauma specific training and hands-on workshops.
During the workshops participants will join our team in creating hand-made tiles for a mosaic mural. The design will be a joyful, love-filled mosaic inspired by nature and other elements chosen by the Uvalde community members. The final creation will be displayed at Jardin de los Heroes Park.
100% of donations will go to this project, and are primarily to pay for 3-5 licensed therapist's time & travel expenses as well as direct expenses for the mural. These therapists are currently working as volunteers, and we hope to make this project sustainable and offer services through the end of the 2022-23 school year. All donations are tax-deductible and will be held specifically for this project by La Peña.
Making Tiles Across America for the Uvalde Love Project
People across the nation have been asking how to create and contribute tiles to the Uvalde Love project. We’d love to have your participation and will add your tiles to the wall. This can be a meaningful project at schools, or even a useful tool in an art therapy session. We’ve put together a “how-to” video describing how to create and contribute. Please watch the tutorial videos below, and download the tile template here.
Once you watch the tutorial videos, you can download the lesson plans here.
Intro to tilemaking
Lesson: Day 1
Lesson: Day 2
Detail Lessons
All clay used in tile creation for this mosaic mural must be classified as Cone 5 or higher. Look for “mid-fire” clay if you’re choosing a clay medium. You can choose to glaze them yourself using our color palette (click here for palette), or we can glaze them for you.
For delivery logistics and questions, please email wanda@comarts.us
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Tacos and Tiles
Connecting and supportive community art events co-facilitated by a Licensed Therapist and Uvalde community members. Create a mosaic tile mural together as a community! Our events do not “feel like” traditional therapy, and talking is not required. We always aim to have food provided at our sessions, because tacos make every gathering even better!
Who: Small groups of children, family, and community members, supported by trauma-informed therapists
What: Group sessions to create tiles for a community mosaic mural and connect
When: Various sessions throughout the 2022-23 School Year
Where: Tile making will take place at St. Henry de Osso Family Project in Uvalde. The community mosaic mural will be installed and displayed at Jardin de los Heroes Park.
Uvalde Love Teacher Workshops
Who: Five to eight Art/ Elective Teachers, supported by trauma-informed therapists
What: A group workshop series on the following topics
• Trauma-informed teaching practices
• Therapeutic art / expressive techniques that can be applied in the classroom
• Calming, regulation, and mindfulness strategies that can be incorporated into classroom lessons or used personally
• Burnout prevention and sustainability for teachers
• Neuroscience basics
When: Regular (at least monthly) sessions for the 2022-23 school year. The Uvalde Love workshops will take place after school hours or on weekends, so teachers will receive a small stipend.
Where: St. Henry’s Community Center