While you were sleeping

This 6′ × 24′ graffiti mural is the work of Gamma Acosta, Longmont, Colo. “Crayons” is his statement about the Sandy Hook school massacre, done a day later. It’s gone now, boards and all, to an anonymous art collector who wanted it preserved. Normally Acosta, who paints on his uncle’s vacant building, would have painted over it to make way for his next mural. This is the first time in five years that one of his murals has been preserved. The collector will replace the planks.

When I first saw “Crayons” during a local TV interview with Acosta, I thought it was powerful, a kick in the gut, heart-wrenching. The horror of that day summed up in a single image. An unforgettable statement about something we must never forget.

Then I found a very long discussion about it on…