"Echoes from the Key Bridge" mural tells story of grieving and resilience from tragic collapse
BALTIMORE -- A new mural tells the story of the tragic day Baltimore's iconic Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River, killing six construction workers, on March 26, 2024.
On Tuesday, the Baltimore Museum of Industry displayed the project "Labor and Innovation: Echoes from the Key Bridge," created by local artist Maria Gabriela Aldana.
The artwork was co-sponsored by the Baltimore Community Foundation which awarded a $25,000 grant to the Baltimore Museum of Industry for the project.
The mural will have a more permanent home after leaving the Baltimore Museum of Industry on Wednesday, Dec. 4.
Stroke of history preserved
The artwork not only depicts the pain but also the resilience of those who responded and were impacted. On canvas, the six men who died are honored, while a piece of Baltimore's history is preserved.
Aldana recorded and preserved the voices of the first responders, business owners, immigrant families and others impacted by the Key Bridge tragedy.
"The idea to start at the center of the story with those most impacted," Aldana said.
Each stroke on the canvas is a colorful representation of the historic day.
Around 1:30 a.m. on March 26, a large cargo ship lost power and crashed into the Key Bridge, causing it to collapse while roadworkers were filling potholes. Six of the workers were recovered days later in the river.
The Port of Baltimore was forced to close for weeks with the passageway blocked.
"We see a clock at the time of the collapse at 1:28 in the morning," Aldana said.
Families involved
The Baltimore City Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs said it was important the families of the six construction workers were involved.
"We were really intentional on making sure that they embark on this process if they wanted to, so those that are a part of this project did it because they wanted to," said Catalina Rodriguez Lima, the Director of the Baltimore City Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs.
Those who died in the bridge collapse were 35-year-old Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 26-year-old Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 38-year-old Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, 24-year-old Carlos Hernandez, 49-year-old Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez and 35-year-old Jose Mynor Lopez.
"Grieve together"
Aldana hopes the message goes beyond the canvas and those who see it will grieve with those impacted by the bridge collapse.
"This mural has a lot of significance, not just in the narrative it is trying to tell, but in having a place for the emotions to land and for these people to grieve together," Aldana said.
Key Bridge rebuild efforts
President Joe Biden recently included money to rebuild the Key Bridge in a $100 billion disaster fund request he sent to Congress, to secure federal funding.
A newly built Key Bridge is estimated to cost nearly $2 billion and is expected to be completed by the fall of 2028.
In August, the MDTA approved a $73 million contract for Kiewit Infrastructure Company to design and construct the new Key Bridge.
"I'm confident that we will have this bridge up in 2028, but in order to do that we've got to get working now," Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said. "I believe in doing things on time and on budget, and that means let's start the process now."