Portraits of Victims of Gun Violence The Second Annual Exhibition
Souls Shot: Portraits of Victims of Gun Violence is an exhibition of work by fine artists who were paired with families of victims and created portraits to illuminate those precious lives. The mission is to bring attention to and memorialize the lives lost and tragically altered due to gun violence. The goal is to encourage the viewer to focus beyond the statistics and see the individuals and the cost of gun violence to our human community. Portraits have the unique ability to call out the souls and profoundly affect those who see them. The variety of mediums and approaches reflect the unique qualities of each soul depicted.
Artists featured include: Marie Bender, Joe Brenman, Michelle Brown, Beth Carson, Jonny Castro, Jennifer Coburn, Karen Shechtman Cole, Lisa Domenic, Marge Feldman, Ann Price Hartzell, Corinne Holloway, Melissa L. Joseph, Warren Keyser, Anna Kocher, Jacqueline Lewis, Laura Madeleine, Helen Mangelsdorf, Nathalie Miller, Laura Orfanelli, Rachel Reinfurt, Karen Ruggles, Monique Sarkessian, Austin Crenshaw Shelley, B. Douglas Smith, Lauren Vargas, Oscar Vance, Keisha Whatley and Greg Woodring.
Rush Arts Philadelphia- 4954 Old York Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19141
Opening Reception
Friday, May 10, 6 to 9 pm
Public Program
Community Discussion
Saturday May 18, 2 to 3:30 pm
Exhibition Dates– May 10 to June 2, 2019
Sponsored by Heeding God’s Call to End Gun Violence
Release
The Souls Shot: Portraits of Victims of Gun Violence exhibition will debut at Rush Arts Philadelphia. 4954 Old York Road in Philadelphia, on Friday, May 10, 2019, from 6pm to 9pm. A community discussion on Gun Violence with the curator, artist and activists talk will be held at the gallery on Saturday, May 18, 2019 2pm to 3:30 pm. The exhibition will be open to the public until June 2, 2019 during Gallery hours Fridays 2pm–8pm, Saturdays 12 pm –6 pm, Sunday 2 pm – 6 pm.
Souls Shot: Portraits of Victims of Gun Violence is an exhibition of work by fine artists who were paired with families of victims and created portraits to illuminate those precious lives. The mission is to bring attention to and memorialize the lives lost and tragically altered due to gun violence. The goal is to encourage the viewer to focus beyond the statistics and see the individuals and the cost of gun violence to our human community. Portraits have the unique ability to call out the souls and profoundly affect those who see them. The variety of mediums and approaches reflect the unique qualities of each soul depicted.
The project began in Chestnut Hill over two years ago as an exhibition meant to be on view for one month. As a result of a groundswell of support it went on to travel to many venues in the Philadelphia area and the State Capitol in 2018. This year, the exhibition will, once again, travel throughout the city for a year making a stop at Rush Arts Philadelphia.
Danny Simmons, Founder of Rush Arts Philadelphia, says “I saw the exhibition first with a friend Joe Brenman, a participating artist at his synagogue in Philadelphia. Joe has passed on since then, but his portrait carries on. This exhibition of portraits of the victims of gun violence resonated deeply with me. Everyone, of course, is aware of the impact guns have on our communities but these portraits put a face to it’s the victims. These thoughtful artworks added another layer of resonance with the addition of the artist’s vision of who these people were and what they meant to the people and communities left behind by the deaths. I feel this show and others like it should have a wide audience in every community nationally affected by these terrible tragedies.”
Subjects of portraits Souls Shot: Portraits of Victims of Gun Violence Second Edition 2018-2019 include: Zakiyy Alford, Luis “Martin” Alicea, Elisabeth Barrer, Brandon Lamar Baylor, Angel Enrique Bermudez, Linwood Bowser III, Jamal Bryant, Izzadeen Burgos, Aslemarie Torres Camacho, Francisco Caraballo, Richard J. Davila, Daronn Davis, Paul Domenic, Darrin “Meatball” Grandy, Dwayne Erik Greene, Charles Andre’ Johnson, Tamara Johnson, Peter LaCourt, Alexander Martinez, Erica Shontell McClelan, Jayvon Mitchell Pendleton, Terence Ryans, Nicholas Santiago, Diamond Santiago, John Tillar, Lauretha Vaird, Howard Williams, Terrance Dontay Williams, and Donte Wylie.
The portraits were created by the following artists: Marie Bender, Joe Brenman, Michelle Brown, Beth Carson, Jonny Castro, Jennifer Coburn, Karen Shechtman Cole, Lisa Domenic, Marge Feldman, Ann Price Hartzell, Corinne Holloway, Melissa L. Joseph, Warren Keyser, Anna Kocher, Jacqueline Lewis, Laura Madeleine, Helen Mangelsdorf, Nathalie Miller, Laura Orfanelli, Rachel Reinfurt, Karen Ruggles, Monique Sarkessian, Austin Crenshaw Shelley, B. Douglas Smith, Lauren Vargas, Oscar Vance, Keisha Whatley and Greg Woodring.
For more information, visit: https://rushphilanthropic.org/exhibitions/ or https://www.soulsshotportraitproject.org/