For Jacob Johns, painting a portrait of the man accused of trying to kill him was a sort of exercise in healing. 

The Spokane, Wash.-based artist and activist on Tuesday afternoon stood next to his own five-foot-tall painting of Ryan Martinez, who is accused of having shot Johns last September at a protest in Española. 

The plan, Johns said, is to turn the painting into a work of collaborative art by leaving markers next to the portrait and encouraging visitors to the exhibition to contribute to it. 



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Indigenous climate activist Jacob Johns, who was shot at a demonstration in Española in September, works on his art exhibit at El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe on Tuesday. The show opens at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.





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Indigenous climate activist Jacob Johns, who was shot at a demonstration in Española in September, works on his art exhibit at El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe on Tuesday. The painting depicts his alleged shooter shortly before the shooting. The show opens at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.



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Indigenous climate activist Jacob Johns, who was shot at a demonstration in Española in September, works on his art exhibit at El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe on Tuesday. The show opens at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.



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