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New memorial mural at Rudee Loop to honor victims of Virginia Beach mass shooting

Posted at 2:38 PM, Oct 09, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-09 14:40:35-04

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. –  A new mural is being painted at Rudee Loop to honor the victims of the May 31 mass shooting.

The Virginia Beach Cultural Affairs Department and the Strategic Growth Areas Office are hosting artists Sean Coffey and John Muldoon of The Coffey Shop studios from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to create the mural.

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‘Peace Doves’ will be painted on the inner walls of The Loop at Rudee, a new community space at the Oceanfront, throughout October 10-12.

The space is located adjacent to 3rd Street and Atlantic Avenue. The design was submitted last spring during the open call to artists and was selected as one of the finalists chosen for the outer Rudee wall mural and a runner up to Aimee Bruce’s “Prismatic Play.”

After hearing of the tragedy, Coffey and Muldoon reached out to the City of Virginia Beach offering to donate their mural. The original design for this project was in reaction to a similar tragedy they personally experienced last year, only three blocks from their studio at a Jewish synagogue. They understand and share the pain endured by the Virginia Beach community.

“‘Peace Doves,’ a play on origami birds and shadows, was created to show that communities can overcome anything if they work together, and to remind us all that there is light at the end of even the darkest tunnels,” said artist Sean Coffey. “I spent a lot of my childhood summers in Virginia Beach and was heartbroken seeing the recent tragedy, and would be honored to donate something in light of the event. Our thoughts and prayers are with your entire community as you endure through this struggle.”

Click here for our full coverage on the Virginia Beach mass shooting.