AR-2020-014-di649-20200726

Object Type: Asset
In Folder: Reilly, Shane

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AR-2020-014-di649-20200726

Item Description

Identifier: DO/2021/026

Title: [COVID-19 Deaths in Texas as of 2020-07-26]

Description: Shane Reilly, an Austin-based artist, began sticking flags in his front yard in May of 2020 to honor each Texan lost to the virus. He started the project as a way to encourage his neighbors to pay attention to the seriousness of the pandemic. The installation eventually became an impromptu memorial — and people began traveling from around the city to see it up close. Reilly said that the project had been difficult to keep up with. He had placed over 20,000 flags in the ground, but he regularly updated the sign that stands above the flags, noting the number of Texans who have died. From Shane “I still think that the idea of showing the numbers versus just saying numbers is a powerful message and a powerful reminder,” he said. “It also adds individuality to those that we’ve lost.”

Date Created: 2020

Date Created Range: 2020s

Creator: Reilly, Shane

Collection: AR.2020.014

Collection: COVID-19 Files: Austin Responds to a Pandemic

Subject: Activism

Subject: COVID-19

Subject: Death

Subject: Reilly, Shane

Geographic locations: Austin (Tex.)

Publisher: Austin History Center, Austin Public Library

Item Type: Image

Format: Born-digital

Required citation: [AR-2020-014-di649-20200726], Austin History Center, Austin Public Library

Rights: AHC Owns Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted. This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. In addition, no permission is required from the rights-holder(s) for non-commercial educational or personal research use, though credit is required using the required credit line. For commercial and publication uses, you must obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) by submitting the form found on this page: http://library.austintexas.gov/ahc/ordering-photos.

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