Waukesha parade memorial; tile project to gather community

WAUKESHA, Wis. - There’s a push this weekend for people to participate in the Waukesha Strong Community Tile Project.

It’s a way the community is honoring the victims of the 2021 Christmas parade attack.

There are hundreds of messages inside artist Carmen De La Paz’s workshop. Each one embodies the spirit of "Waukesha Strong."

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"I knew this would be healing in the process," De La Paz said. "I’m seeing it first hand by speaking to the people who have been affected by it."

Waukesha tile rendering

De La Paz, who has been featured on HGTV and hosts a show on the Roku Channel, has spent months helping people in Waukesha design clay titles. They will be part of the Parade Memorial in Grede Park.

The city needs 750 tiles for the wall.

"This is definitely a passion project," De La Paz said.

She quickly realized she can’t do it alone.

Carmen De La Paz

Waukesha South junior Maxwell Henes is a student in Codey Gallas’ ceramics class.

"This is a way to show what we can do for them," Henes said.

Students in the school’s marching band were among the 60 injured when Darrell Brooks Jr. drove through the parade, killing six people.

"Right now in the studio there is 300, over 300, there are a lot of tiles to come and a lot here right now," De La Paz said. "Their small part of it, just glazing, can be therapeutic for them – but it’s still impacting students, for sure."

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Gallas said his students were eager to help.

"I think it also comes full circle for them – those students were involved," De La Paz said. "They get to heal and help the community heal."

That’s the goal of the project: to show that the community is in this together.

Everyone is welcome to visit the Waukesha Public Library from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to engrave a tile. The cost is $25 per tile.

Money raised will help pay for the Grede Park memorial. The city still needs to raise $75,000 for it. They plan to dedicate the memorial in November to mark three years since the attack.

De La Paz will also have an additional sculpture as part of the Grede Park memorial.

Rendering of Carmen De La Paz's memorial sculpture

"Waukesha Strong," De La Paz said. "Never forget."

There will be another chance to take part in a Public Tile event on Friday, June 21.