Photo by Deb Gau Signs and artworks by area residents make up a memorial art installation for George Floyd, outside the SMSU Alumni and Foundation Center on East College Drive in Marshall.

MARSHALL — After the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and the turmoil that has followed in communities in Minnesota and around the country, people are dealing with powerful emotions, Julie Walker said. There’s grief, anger at injustices in the U.S., and a desire to reach out.

All of those feelings came together in a public collection of art by area residents, which is on display in a parking lot along East College Drive in Marshall. The installation in memory of Floyd will be on display through the end of June.

“It’s been kind of a somber feeling,” as artworks have been added to the memorial and people drive by to visit, Walker said Wednesday. “There’s a silence people get.”

“We grieve the loss of George Floyd, and we grieve the losses of so many,” said Darwin Dyce, a member of the Marshall Area Peace Seekers group, which organized the memorial. “We say their names, we remember, and we work in solidarity with communities to prevent injustice in the future.”

Walker, a professor at Southwest Minnesota State University and a MAPS member, said the idea for an art memorial came from members of MAPS, as a way to take part in protests against police brutality while still following precautions against COVID-19.

“We wanted to have a space where folks who wanted to could participate in demonstrations in contactless ways,” she said.

MAPS got permission from Southwest Minnesota State University to put the memorial up in the parking lot outside the SMSU Alumni and Foundation Center on East College Drive.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with SMSU to locate this memorial in such a visible place in our community,” Walker said. “We want all members of the community to have access to this memorial.”

The artworks in the memorial include hand-drawn and painted portraits of Floyd by area residents, as well as a cross covered in names of people who have died in encounters with police. Organizers said people may drop off their own art, flowers, or other items to add to the memorial.

“Some may simply come to say their names, leave a letter, a flower or hold a candle,” said Dyce. “Perhaps children have messages to send to our community about building a better future for all.”

Walker said there are painted stones set out near the memorial, which people can use to help weigh down artworks or messages of their own. Walker said group members would also try to seal-coat artworks so they can withstand weather at the outdoor display.

Walker said there had been concerns voiced about possible vandalism of the memorial. But, she said, “I am sincerely hoping that Marshall is better than that.”

Instead of using the memorial to show anger, she said, people can reflect. “We can remember we’re all on the same side, that everyone deserves equal rights.”