Rose River Memorial unveiled at Salinas Valley Health
SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV)- A Rose River memorial art project was unveiled on Monday morning at Salinas Valley Health.
The project recognizes the impact of COVID-19 and promote community healing in Monterey County.
“It’s very special for me to be here today with my family,” said Marcos Lutyens, international artist and co-founder of Rose River Memorial. “Salinas Valley Health is the first medical center to take a lead on an art installation and the result is a beautiful tapestry of people healing together from a global crisis.”
The ceremony showcased a wall of more than 2,500 handmade red felt roses created by community members and adhered to nets donated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Monterey County Health Department said they have recorded 827 official deaths from COVID-19. The display honors those lives lost to COVID-19 in Monterey County as well as those forever changed.
Maria Munoz, a Salinas Valley Health nurse spoke during the ceremony, pausing through tears as she remembered her father.
"I had a photo of my dad with me at the rose sessions and here today,” Munoz said. "The virus prevented us from having a large gathering to honor him. Participating in this project has helped me process my grief.”
The public display will be up at the hospital for the next several months before going to Washington D.C.
