ORLANDO, Fla. -- A memorial of the Pulse shooting built by more than 1,000 people will soon be on display at the Orange County Commission building, just before the massacre's second anniversary.

  • Orlando Traveling Memorial honors those who died in Pulse attack
  • Family, friends, volunteers came together to create it
  • Memorial will be on display at Orange County Commission building

The Orlando Traveling Memorial was designed to remember the 49 people whose lives were taken during the Pulse nightclub terror attack.

The exhibit, which features paintings of the victims, is meant to help in the healing process for friends and family members.

In fact, friends and family did the actual artwork with a little help.

It also pays tribute to those who survived the tragedy. The public will get a chance to share in the artwork created by those who were directly affected.

Colleen Ardaman had the idea to put the memorial together in the wake of the shooting. 

Since then, family members of victims and survivors and hundreds of volunteers have helped with the project, lending their time and talents to the traveling memorial by painting portraits and even doing the physical work of packing, moving and reassembling the memorial as it travels across the country.

Volunteer Beverly Mulligan says working on the project has had a major impact on her life.

"Out of such a hateful, awful event, I think we have really shown that hate will not take root in our community. There is so much love in Orlando, and I think we are all trying to survive this," she said.

Along with handprints from first responders and so many others, what makes the memorial unique is the portraits that the families created of their loved ones that were done in a sort of paint-by-number style, according to exhibit artist Jeff Sonksen.

So no matter what their artistic ability, people were able to create beautiful memories of their family members and friends. 

The memorial was installed at the Orange County Commission building Friday, but there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the opening of the exhibit at 1 p.m. Monday, June 11 at the First United Methodist Church of Orlando at 142 East Jackson St., Orlando.