Hispanic artist gains international recognition for tribute to Walmart shooting victims
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It’s been six years since a white gunman opened fire at a local Walmart in El Paso, Texas, killing 23 people of Mexican heritage. Now, a memorial by artist Albert “Tino” Ortega stands in their honor.
Seven granite pillars inscribed with the names of the victims of the Aug. 3, 2019, tragedy rise from the ground in the shape of a crown. Ortega said he chose that shape intentionally, calling crowns “symbols of power.” He explained that it was as if people’s power had been stripped away when the shooting happened, and the crown evoked “a sense of reclaiming that power.”
An El Paso native, Ortega creates vibrant tributes across the city, from large-scale murals to immersive public installations that reflect the people of the borderland, a community defined by its blend of Mexican and American heritage.
He says he designed the memorial in partnership with the city of El Paso. It’s located at Jim Crouch Park, a quiet neighborhood park within five minutes of the now-renovated Walmart.
“Since I like my pieces to be interactive, I definitely wanted a three-dimensional piece where people can not just see it from one side, but see it from within and outside,” Ortega said.
Throughout the creative process, Ortega and city officials met with each of El Paso’s City Council districts to refine the design, followed by a final meeting with the victims’ families.
“A lot of it was dealing with and talking to the victims’ families,” Ortega said. “Just making sure that everything we were doing ran through all the families. So, we made sure that everyone had a voice in the overall design and pretty much the overall concept.”
Ortega and the El Paso officials unveiled the memorial on Aug. 3, 2024, exactly five years after the shooting. A year later, in August 2025, it was recognized as one of the top 100 public artworks in the world during the 2025 CODAawards, an international competition hosted by a global network that celebrates public art.
According to CODAawards, the competition drew 281 submissions from 14 countries, with a panel of 14 expert jurors selecting projects that highlight “the spirit of partnership and community that defines the public art field today.”
“Just seeing that it was selected for one of the top 100 pieces for the world tour was just surreal on my part,” Ortega said. “I was not even expecting that.”
The tragedy that inspired the acclaimed memorial, however, is far from unusual. It was one of more than 400 mass shootings in 2019, another hate crime in the cycle of violence that continues to plague communities across the United States.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, this year is on track to have about the same number. As of Nov. 8, the organization has verified 369 mass shootings in the U.S.
Ortiz is not the only artist transforming the realities of gun violence into meaningful art. After the 2016 Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting, D.C. artist Stephanie Mercedes used weapons and bullets to shape a powerful art installation.
“For some reason, that shooting was like a precipice for me,” Mercedes said in a 2023 Hola Cultura Q&A. “It was a moment when I realized how vulnerable we all really are. I really wanted to reclaim that material. So I took a Sig Sauer MCX semi-automatic rifle — the same model of rifle that was used by the shooter — and melted it down, transforming it into 49 liberty bells for each of the individuals who lost their lives that night.”
Over the three years Ortega spent working on the memorial, he painted murals from Santa Anna, Texas, to Oaxaca, Mexico, expanding his reach to audiences far beyond the borderland.
“I believe as artists that we have a responsibility to send a message with our artwork, and usually I feel like people, in general, are antennas and we either put out negativity or positivity,” Ortega says. “ I definitely put those constraints on myself to make sure that it’s positive, somewhat plays to the region, theme, culture or the people in general.”
A canvas created by Ortega also appeared in “One Battle After Another,” an action film featuring Leonardo DiCaprio that played in theaters worldwide in September. Leticia Peña, the film’s assistant set dresser and local buyer, recommended Ortega’s work.
“I’ve known Tino Ortega for many years, almost since I opened up my shop here in El Paso,” Peña said. She also owns Red Door Vintage, a local vintage shop. “We needed a local artist to make us a painting for the movie, and he’s the first one that came to mind. There’s a lot of great artists here in El Paso, but he’s always been able to come up with exactly what we need.”
Though Ortega’s career is now gaining international recognition, his love for art has been lifelong. It wasn’t until 2021 that he left his 15-year career in aviation to become a full-time artist.
The change, Ortega said, was inspired by his 11-year-old daughter.
“I figured if I have one life to live, I want her to see me do what I love because I want to be an example for her,” Ortega said. “If I’m miserable, I don’t expect her to be happy. I want to be that reflection to her of what happiness should look like.”
This story has been updated to correct an error in the year the memorial was unveiled and the locations where Ortega has worked in recent years.
– Story by April Borjon
– Copy edited by Valerie Izquierdo, Daniela Garcia Perez and Kami Waller
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