Discussion

Hello Readers...I wanted to share this update on the project with you...

#UNLOAD: Guns in the Hands of Artists 
Presented by Fairfield University Art Museum in partnership with#UNLOAD and Guns In The Hands of Artists Foundation—Opens June 1 

This exhibition is part of a nationwide initiative to generate conversation about guns and gun violence.  

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (April 3, 2018)—The Fairfield University Art Museum,in partnership with#UNLOAD and theGuns In The Hands of Artists Foundation, announces the opening of the exhibition, #UNLOAD: Guns in the Hands of Artists.  
Each piece in the exhibition was created using decommissioned guns, taken off the streets of New Orleans via the city’s gun buyback program, and distributed to internationally-known artists. Painters, glass artists, sculptors, photographers, video artists, poets, and other artists used the decommissioned firearms to create works of art that address the complex issue of guns and gun violence. The exhibition will open on Friday, June 1 and run through October 13, 2018 in the museum’s Walsh Gallery. 

The show originated in the mid-1990s in New Orleans, where a spiking murder rate led artist Brian Borrello to conceive of the first iteration of Guns in the Hands ofArtistsexhibition, by bringing the discussion over the role of guns and gun violence in our society into the realm of art; art as the language for dialogue and possibly change without the often partisan politics that surround the issue. 
 
Borrello and gallery owner Jonathan Ferrara mounted this exhibition at Positive Space The Gallery in September 1996, in the Lower Garden District of New Orleans. A one-month run of the exhibition attracted national attention including a feature article in The New York Timesby Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Rick Bragg, and a segment on ABC News’ Good Morning America.  

Since 1996, Guns in the Hands of Artistshas been re-activated in galleries, art centers, and gun trade shows in Washington, D.C. and Portland, Oregon, and the project has inspired similar efforts in other cities nationwide. The exhibition has traveled to The Aspen Institute in Colorado, Washington University in St. Louis, Art Basel Miami Beach, Minneapolis with Pillsbury United Communities, and Washington DC at the New America Foundation and in the Rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building. 

“As an artist, activist and social entrepreneur, I asked myself, ‘What can I do to address this issue that pervades our society?’” said Ferrara. “Putting together this exhibition is my way of doing something. It’s my goal to use art and the creative process to facilitate new, frank dialogue about gun violence and guns in our society.”  

The exhibition will continue to generate dialogue about guns and gun violence, initiated in New Orleans, over two decades ago. Guns in the Hands of Artists, will offer the opportunity to continue this national conversation with a focus on Connecticut’s response to the challenges posed by the threat of gun violence, and the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. 

The museum plans a full slate of programs in conjunction with this exhibition, beginning with an opening nightreception andpanel discussion moderated by Helen Klisser During, co-founder and artistic director of #UNLOAD, with several of the exhibiting artists including Paul Villinski, Bradley McCallum and guest curator Jonathan Ferrara, on “Art Making for Social Change,” Thursday, May 31st at 5 p.m. in the Quick Center’s Wien Experimental Theatre.  

On Thursday, September 12at 5 p.m., the museum will host a panel discussion in the Wien Theatre on “Gun Violence in Connecticut: Realities and Paths Forward,” aimed to facilitate public engagement on the realities of gun violence in Connecticut, and weigh the value of different approaches to reducing accessibility to guns. Confirmed panelists include Brett Peterkin, statewide coordinator, DOJ Project Longevity, and Jeremy Stein, executive director, Connecticut Against Gun Violence. 

On Thursday, September 20at 6 p.m., Barone Campus Center, Oak Room, Patrick Kelley, MD, DrPH,Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies, and founder, Forum on Global Violence Prevention at the National Academies of Science, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (to be confirmed), and Mayor Elect of New Orleans, LaToya Cantrell(to be confirmed), will engage in a conversation about “Gun Violence as a Public Health Crisis,” moderated by Congressman Jim Himes.  

The culminating event presented in conjunction with this exhibition will be on Friday, October 12. A “Closing Night Party” will showcase a world premiere dance of a new work by Movement Art Is (MAI), commissioned by the Quick Center for the Arts. MAI, featuring artists Jon Boogz and Lil Buck, is creating this work in response to the powerful works in the exhibition.   
Additional programming is in the final stages, and will be updated atfairfield.edu/unload. 

Artists featured in the Guns in the Hands of Artistsexhibition include Generic Art Solutions, Neil Alexander, Luis Cruz Azaceta, John Barnes, Rob Bechet, Andrei Codrescu, R. Luke DuBois, Margaret Evangeline, Jonathan Ferrara, Rico Gatson, MK Guth, Marcus Kenney, Deborah Luster, Bradley McCallum, Adam Mysock, Ted Riederer, Paul Villinski, Club S&S (Stephen Paul Day & Sibylle Peretti), Robert C. Tannen, Nicholas Varney, William Villalongo, Sidonie Villere, and John Schuerman. Works by these artists are included in the collections of many of the country’s most prestigious museum collections including The Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Modern Art, Brooklyn Museum, New Orleans Museum of Art, and have been featured in major biennials like The Whitney Biennial and Prospect Biennial, New Orleans. 

Ferrara has released a new book for the project entitled Guns in the Hands of Artists(Ink Shares, 2016), featuring thought-provoking artwork from the show and essays authored by renowned thought leaders such as U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Richard Ford, The Aspen Institute’s former CEO Walter Isaacson, Grammy Award-winning rapper Lupe Fiasco, and shooting victim and Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, among many others. The book will be available for sale at the Fairfield University Bookstore. 
This exhibition is a part of #UNLOAD, a Connecticut arts-based initiative that seeks to drive consensus around the divisive issue of gun violence. Visit theunloadusa.orgfor more information about 2018 events taking place across the state. 

The Walsh Gallery of the Fairfield University Art Museum is located in the Quick Center for the Arts on the campus of Fairfield University, 200 Barlow Road, Fairfield, Connecticut. It is open to the public Wednesday through Saturday, 12-4 p.m., when classes are in session. Admission is free.  Please consult the museum website for details (https://www.fairfield.edu/museum) and summer hours. 


Fairfield University is a modern, Jesuit Catholic university rooted in one of the world’s oldest intellectual and spiritual traditions. More than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students from the U.S. and across the globe are pursuing degrees in the University’s five schools. Fairfield embraces a liberal humanistic approach to education, encouraging critical thinking, cultivating free and open inquiry, and fostering ethical and religious values. The University is located on a stunning 200- acre campus on the scenic Connecticut coast just an hour from New York City.


Hello Readers.....wanted share an exciting update with you on the Guns In The Hands of Artists project.

I have partnered with Mary Himes, wife of Congressman Jim Himes of the 4th District of Connecticut to bring the exhibition and project to the Fairfield University Art Museum this summer...below is the press release.

 

New Exhibition —#UNLOAD: Guns in the Hands of Artists

 

Presented by Fairfield University Art Museum in partnership with #UNLOAD and Guns In The Hands of Artists Foundation—Opens June 1

 

This exhibition is part of a nationwide initiative to generate conversation about guns and gun violence.

 

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (April 3, 2018)—The Fairfield University Art Museum, in partnership with #UNLOAD and the Guns In The Hands of Artists Foundation, announces the opening of the exhibition, #UNLOAD: Guns in the Hands of Artists.

 

Each piece in the exhibition was created using decommissioned guns, taken off the streets of New Orleans via the city’s gun buyback program, and distributed to internationally-known artists. Painters, glass artists, sculptors, photographers, video artists, poets, and other artists used the decommissioned firearms to create works of art that address the complex issue of guns and gun violence. The exhibition will open on Friday, June 1 and run through October 13, 2018 in the museum’s Walsh Gallery.

 

The show originated in the mid-1990s in New Orleans, where a spiking murder rate led artist Brian Borrello to conceive of the first iteration of Guns in the Hands of Artists exhibition, by bringing the discussion over the role of guns and gun violence in our society into the realm of art; art as the language for dialogue and possibly change without the often partisan politics that surround the issue.

 

Borrello and gallery owner Jonathan Ferrara mounted this exhibition at Positive Space The Gallery in September 1996, in the Lower Garden District of New Orleans. A one-month run of the exhibition attracted national attention including a feature article in The New York Times by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Rick Bragg, and a segment on ABC News’ Good Morning America.

 

Since 1996, Guns in the Hands of Artists has been re-activated in galleries, art centers, and gun trade shows in Washington, D.C. and Portland, Oregon, and the project has inspired similar efforts in other cities nationwide. The exhibition has traveled to The Aspen Institute in Colorado, Washington University in St. Louis, Art Basel Miami Beach, Minneapolis with Pillsbury United Communities, and Washington DC at the New America Foundation and in the Rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building.

 

“As an artist, activist and social entrepreneur, I asked myself, ‘What can I do to address this issue that pervades our society?’” said Ferrara. “Putting together this exhibition is my way of doing something. It’s my goal to use art and the creative process to facilitate new, frank dialogue about gun violence and guns in our society.”

 

The exhibition will continue to generate dialogue about guns and gun violence, initiated in New Orleans, over two decades ago. Guns in the Hands of Artists, will offer the opportunity to continue this national conversation with a focus on Connecticut’s response to the challenges posed by the threat of gun violence, and the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.

 

The museum plans a full slate of programs in conjunction with this exhibition, beginning with an opening night reception and panel discussion moderated by Helen Klisser During, co-founder and artistic director of # UNLOAD, with several of the exhibiting artists including Paul Villinski, Bradley McCallum, Margaret Evangeline and guest curator Jonathan Ferrara, on “Art Making for Social Change,” Thursday, May 31st at 5 p.m. in the Quick Center’s Wien Experimental Theatre.

 

On Thursday, September 12 at 5 p.m., the museum will host a panel discussion in the Wien Theatre on “Gun Violence in Connecticut: Realities and Paths Forward,” aimed to facilitate public engagement on the realities of gun violence in Connecticut, and weigh the value of different approaches to reducing accessibility to guns. Confirmed panelists include Brett Peterkin, statewide coordinator, DOJ Project Longevity, and Jeremy Stein, executive director, Connecticut Against Gun Violence.

 

On Thursday, September 20 at 6 p.m., Barone Campus Center, Oak Room, Patrick Kelley, MD, DrPH, Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies, and founder, Forum on Global Violence Prevention at the National Academies of Science, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (to be confirmed), and Mayor Elect of New Orleans, LaToya Cantrell (to be confirmed), will engage in a conversation about “Gun Violence as a Public Health Crisis,” moderated by Congressman Jim Himes.

 

The culminating event presented in conjunction with this exhibition will be on Friday, October 12. A “Closing Night Party” will showcase a world premiere dance of a new work by Movement Art Is (MAI), commissioned by the Quick Center for the Arts. MAI, featuring artists Jon Boogz and Lil Buck, is creating this work in response to the powerful works in the exhibition. 

 

Additional programming is in the final stages, and will be updated at fairfield.edu/unload.

 

Artists featured in the Guns in the Hands of Artists exhibition include Generic Art Solutions, Neil Alexander, Luis Cruz Azaceta, John Barnes, Rob Bechet, Andrei Codrescu, R. Luke DuBois, Margaret Evangeline, Jonathan Ferrara, Rico Gatson, MK Guth, Marcus Kenney, Deborah Luster, Bradley McCallum, Adam Mysock, Ted Riederer, Paul Villinski, Club S&S (Stephen Paul Day & Sibylle Peretti), Robert C. Tannen, Nicholas Varney, William Villalongo, Sidonie Villere, and John Schuerman. Works by these artists are included in the collections of many of the country’s most prestigious museum collections including The Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Modern Art, Brooklyn Museum, New Orleans Museum of Art, and have been featured in major biennials like The Whitney Biennial and Prospect Biennial, New Orleans.

 

Ferrara has released a new book for the project entitled Guns in the Hands of Artists (Ink Shares, 2016), featuring thought-provoking artwork from the show and essays authored by renowned thought leaders such as U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Richard Ford, The Aspen Institute’s former CEO Walter Isaacson, Grammy Award-winning rapper Lupe Fiasco, and shooting victim and Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, among many others. The book will be available for sale at the Fairfield University Bookstore.

 

This exhibition is a part of #UNLOAD, a Connecticut arts-based initiative that seeks to drive consensus around the divisive issue of gun violence. Visit the unloadusa.org for more information about 2018 events taking place across the state.

 

The Walsh Gallery of the Fairfield University Art Museum is located in the Quick Center for the Arts on the campus of Fairfield University, 200 Barlow Road, Fairfield, Connecticut. It is open to the public Wednesday through Saturday, 12-4 p.m., when classes are in session. Admission is free.  Please consult the museum website for details (https://www.fairfield.edu/museum) and summer hours.

Jonathan Ferrara · Author · added over 6 years ago
Hello Readers,

The past three years seem to have gone by in the blink of an eye.  The traveling exhibition has toured the country to six cities and the book has gained great traction.  Both have spurred new dialogue on this critically important issue which is the aim of this project and the book.  I am currently wrapping up over 40 national radio interviews across the country where I have discussed the book and the issue of guns and gun violence.  The book has been well received in the media and most importantly by its readers.  I am honored and proud to be a part of this great effort.  Please stay tuned for more information as we launch the newly formed Guns In The Hands of Artists Foundation whose mission is further conversation on a national basis with public art interventions and actions.


Hello Readers,


I am writing to update you on the progress and success of the book.  Currently 2244 copies of the book have been sold and the media interest is growing every day.

I trust that by now you have received your book and I would love to hear your comments on it.

On Monday, CNN.com did a feature on the book in their Health Section and I am doing numerous radio and print interviews in the coming weeks.


Read the CNN.com article here

I hope that you will share the CNN story with your networks via Twitter and other Social Media.


And I would greatly appreciate your reviewing the book on Amazon.com as it is important to the success of the book.


Lastly, please consider the book as a holiday gift as it would make a beautiful, meaningful and powerful gift.


All My Best for Happy and Safe Holidays....more news when I have and Thanks for your continued support!!!!

Creatively  and Gratefully

Jonathan


Dear Readers,

As you know the book published last week and has already begun to receive lots of media attention on TIME.com, Salon.com and an upcoming piece on CNN.com.  More is on its way soon..

We need your help in getting the book glowing reviews on AMAZON.com…that will inspire media and readers about the book.

So i am asking you to please click on the link below to the books page on Amazon and give the book a 5 star review and add in your personal comments: 

Here is the link to post your review

LINK TO REVIEW THE BOOK ON AMAZON

 some key words & phrases you can consider using in your review: 

 important, brilliant, compelling, insightful, wonderful, outstanding, crucial, great, essential, significant, meaningful, noteworthy, remarkable, beautiful transformative, inspiring, impressive, amazing, extraordinary, immersive, dazzling,exquisite, elegant ,meditation

 connects with the heart and mind, haunting power of art, grand inquiry into the mystery and sorrow of guns, the promise of art 

 Links to media on the book thus far:

 Time.com 

 Salon.com

 Other links to share on social media 

 Twitter: @GunsHandsArtist 

Facebook: Guns in the Hands of Artists Foundation 

Amazon link to the book: bit.ly/gunsart 

Thanks again

Jonathan

Can you help? "Guns in the Hands of Artists" book launches TODAY and is featured on TIME.com TODAY

As you know, in 2014 I worked with the New Orleans Police Department and thirty artists to stage Guns in the Hands of Artists at my gallery in New Orleans. Since then, the exhibition has traveled the country, appearing at the Aspen Ideas Festival, at Washington University in St. Louis, Art Basel Miami Beach, Minneapolis, and most recently in Washington D.C. at New America and the Rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building. Along the way we have heard hundreds of stories and discovered new perspectives. These insights from artists, politicians, and thinkers have been gathered in a beautiful hard-cover book that launches today, November 1st , on Inkshares and Amazon.

 Guns in the Hands of Artists, a 224-page book featuring artworks from the exhibition paired with a collection of essays on guns and gun violence by thought leaders including: Walter Isaacson, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-V.A.), former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.) and Capt. Mark Kelly (Ret.), MSNBC’s Trymaine Lee, the rapper Lupe Fiasco, Mayor Mitchell J. Landrieu, and others. The book is published by Inkshares, a crowd-funding publishing platform, and is available at Amazon, Inkshares, Barnes & Noble and available in bookstores November 1.  A portion of proceeds from sales of the book will benefit Americans for Responsible Solutions and Guns in the Hands of Artists Foundation.

 Can you help me spread the word? 

 Share this Article: We are excited that Time.com published Sen. Tim Kaine’s essay from Guns in the Hands of Artists alongside photos of artwork featured in the book. Please share this article across your social media platforms:

  http://time.com/4537499/tim-kaine-guns-in-the-hands-of-artists/ 

If possible include this easy Amazon link to buy the book: bit.ly/gunsart 

Follow Us on Social Media: Over the coming days we will be publishing videos of contributors and influencers sharing their thoughts on guns, gun violence, and the role of the arts in this critical discussion. I encourage you with us on these platforms… like, share, re-tweet: 

Twitter: @GunsHandsArtist 

Facebook: Guns in the Hands of Artists Foundation 

Please include this easy Amazon link to buy the book: bit.ly/gunsart 

 Thank you for your support. I appreciate everything you have done to make Guns in the Hands of Artists a success. I look forward to seeing what’s next… 


 Creatively and Gratefully,

 Jonathan

Hello Everyone,

It is with great pleasure that I am happy to announce that after almost two years in production the Guns In The Hands of Artists book is at the printer and will be in bookstores on November 1st and you should receive your books soon thereafter when Inkshares sends them directly to you.

I have spent the last three months designing, laying out and editing the book with Girl Friday Productions (Seattle) and am so pleased with how it turned out.  The book has 224 pages and is just beautiful.  We are already getting lots of interest from the media and begin promotional efforts on September 20th with a book launch panel discussion in Washington DC at the New America Foundation 4-5 pm EST.

The panel will be available to the public via livestream at www.newamerica.org

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE...THE WAIT WILL BE WORTH IT!!!!

                                          - Jonathan

Below is more information on the DC showings of the exhibition.  Onward to Change!


Artists Turn Guns from the Streets of New Orleans into Works of Art in Exhibition at New America

Exhibition Opens with Panel and Book Launch Featuring Artists and Contributors

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — D.C.-based nonpartisan think tank and civic enterprise New America, Jonathan Ferrara Gallery, and Guns in the Hands of Artists Foundation announce a special public presentation of the widely acclaimed traveling exhibition Guns in the Hands of Artists at New America’s headquarters (740 15th Street NW, Suite 900), just steps from the White House, from September 19- October 7, 2016. With the support of the City of New Orleans, this iteration of the exhibition features thirty nationally known artists who have used over 180 decommissioned guns from the streets of New Orleans to create original works of art addressing the issue of guns and gun violence in our society. This exhibition has traveled the country, appearing at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Washington University in St. Louis, Art Basel Miami Beach and most recently Minneapolis. 


To coincide with the exhibition traveling to Washington, D.C., Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Tim Kaine (D-V.A.) has sponsored a complimentary exhibition of Guns in the Hands of Artists in the Rotunda of the Russel Senate Office Building from October 3-7 2016.

 

On Tuesday, September 20 at 4:00 p.m. New America will host an invitation-only reception and panel discussion featuring conversation with artist and organizer Jonathan Ferrara, MSNBC reporter and New America fellow Trymaine Lee, New Orleans City Councilwoman and Aspen Fellow Latoya Cantrell and others. The panel will be available to the public via livestream at www.newamerica.org.

 

"I am pleased to welcome this wonderful art exhibit to New America’s D.C. office. Jonathan and Brian’s thought-provoking work brings a new dimension to the public conversation around gun violence, and I am so proud to host it here. New America is an organization dedicated to American renewal, in which art plays an important, and often underappreciated, part. We welcome the public to view the installation in our beautiful office space.”

-Anne-Marie Slaughter, President and CEO, New America

 

The exhibition coincides with the release of Guns in the Hands of Artists, a 224-page book featuring artworks from the exhibition paired with a collection of essays on guns and gun violence by thought leaders including: Walter Isaacson, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-V.A.), curator Dan Cameron, former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.) and Capt. Mark Kelly (Ret.), New York Times columnist Joe Nocera, Maria Cuomo Cole, New Orleans’ Mayor Mitchell J. Landrieu, and others.  The book is published by Inkshares, a crowd-funding publishing platform, and is available for pre-order at Inkshares and Amazon and available in bookstores November 1. A portion of proceeds from sales of the book will benefit Americans for Responsible Solutions and Guns in the Hands of Artists Foundation.

 

“In his new book, Ferrara brings a hauntingly beautiful new perspective to the national conversation about gun violence in America and how we understand it. This smart collection of brilliant artists and voices reimagines the devastating violence that cuts through the fabric of society, while paying homage to the hope that drives those of us in this movement every day. Guns in the Hands of Artists is required reading for anyone looking to shift the American gun violence discussion from one rooted in debate, to one striving for solutions.”

-Dan Gross, President, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

 

The general public is invited to visit the exhibition from September 20 to October 7 at New America (740 15th Street NW, Suite 900) Monday - Friday between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., please call 202-986-2700 for the latest information about viewing dates and times.

Hello Everyone,

It is with great excitement that I am writing to let you know that the book is entering the design and layout phase this coming Monday.  It has been a long process and it is not over yet but we are moving forward, so thank you for your patience.  If all goes according to plan, we should have the books in hand by November 15th and you should start to see more media coverage on the book beginning  this summer.

A few updates and some more information on the project. First, I am happy to report that Pulitzer Prize winning author Richard Ford has joined the list of contributors to the book.  Richard agreed to let me reprint a very poignant piece he wrote for The Financial Times.  This is great news as he joins the stellar list of contributors we already have.  I am honored!

Speaking of honored, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords in Minneapolis on May 2nd when the exhibition opened there.  Gabby joined group of funders for an opening luncheon at the Pillsbury House Theatre where approximately 10 works from the show are on view through May 29th.

The exhibition in Minneapolis is being presented by Pillsbury United Communities and they are doing a great job of community outreach, generating awareness and incorporating the exhibition into existing gun violence efforts there.  The full exhibition will move to Public Functionary Gallery in Northeast Minneapolis with an opening on June 3rd and be on view through June 19th.  

We are also working on a gun buy back there with Minneapolis Police Department n hopes that we can take more guns off the streets and give them to local artists there to address the issue of guns and gun violence.

Once again, I appreciate your continued support of this book and your patience as well.

All My Best
Jonathan

 


Greetings from New Orleans,


I am writing to update you on the progress of the book and the exhibition as well.


First let me apologize for the delay in the book...but it is for good reason.  When I first started this project I thought it would move at a very fast pace and that we would have the book in hand by the beginning of this year....that is obviously not the case.

The delay has really come from my choice to add more voices to the book, more contributors, more thought leaders who can add more perspective to the conversation we are aiming to foster.  


And since these are very busy folks who are journalists for The New York Times, authors in their own right, activists and even a United States Senator...I have had to swallow my patience pill and continue to slowly move the process along.  I firmly believe that waiting for these very important voices to add to the book is the right move.


So as you can see from the list below we have added a few names to the contributor list and I am gathering the last few essays and then we will move into the design and layout phase of the project.  And then I will have a much better idea of when we have the books in hand.

Walter Isaacson is writing the introduction for the book and the other thought leaders who are joining him in writing for the book are:

Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly, Maria Cuomo Cole, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Dan Gross of The Brady Campaign, Joe Nocera of The New York Time,s Michael Waldman of the Brennan Center for Justice, Author John Barry, Lucia McBath mother of Jordan Davis, Rapper Lupe Fiasco, Poet E. Ethelbert Miller, Lolis Eric Elie, International Curator Dan Cameron, Trymaine Lee of The New York, Times Senator Tim Kaine, Harry Shearer, Ace Atkins, Gregg Hurwitz, Robert Crais and  Steve Clemons of The Atlantic.


Thank you again for you continued patience..All good things take time!


UPDATE on the Exhibition

As you know, the project opened in the fall of 2014 at my gallery here in New Orleans for Prospect Biennial and traveled to Aspen Ideas Festival this summer and then to Washington University in St. Louis where it was presented by The Institute of Public Health, The Brown School of Social Work and the Sam Fox School of Art.  In December, it was presented at Art Basel Miami Beach as a special exhibition at Miami Project at The Deauville Beach Resort.. This spring it will travel to Minneapolis and then Chicago and in late September it will be presented in three parts in Washington DC…at the Rotunda of the Russell Senate Building (sponsored by Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia), the Headquarters of the New America Foundation and I am working on it being presented at the Washington Ideas Forum (put on by The Atlantic and The Aspen Institute). In the Spring of 2017, it will be exhibited at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.


All this is great news as the project travels and  continues to have an impact on this important conversation.

To read more news on the exhibition...please visit the link below and stay tuned for more soon

http://jonathanferraragallery.blogspot.com/search/label/Guns%20in%20the%20Hands%20of%20Artists

Creatively and Gratefully,

Jonathan Ferrara

Another update on the Guns In The Hands of Artists project...


Guns In The Hands of Artists opened at The Des Lee Gallery at Washington University in St. Louis on September 16th and runs through November 21st. The exhibition is being presented by the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts, The Institute of Public Health and the Brown School of Social in conjunction with the university's year-long initiative Gun Violence: A Public Health Crisis.

The opening reception on September 16th drew over 500 visitors to the university's downtown gallery. A live-streamed panel discussion with artists and university experts took place on September 17th at Steinberg Hall where the St. Louis Story Stitchers performed and on September 18th, the gallery hosted the launch party for a city wide gun buyback initiative in conjunction with President of Aldermen Louis Reed's office and the GunxGun organization. The exhibition drew big crowds and was well received by the St. Louis community as well as the local media. 


You can watch the video from the entire panel discussion here featuring artists Brian Borrello, Margaret Evangeline, Ron Bechet and me as well as activist and Washington University professor Bob Hansman that was moderated by Terrell Carter, a former St. Louis police officer, activist and author.

http://jonathanferraragallery.blogspot.com/2015/10/panel-discussion-guns-in-hands-of.html

In addition, Seema Iyer of MSNBC flew down with a crew to film a feature interview on the project that will be aired in mid October. Through this exhibition, the Sam Fox School hopes to engage partners and collaborators in taking a hard look at the serious, tragic public health consequences of gun violence in America. Through programs such as this panel discussion, individuals and communities will have unique opportunities to engage in the conversation about guns in our society, using art as the catalyst for dialogue.

On the book...we are still getting more contributors to add to the esteemed list of thought leaders writing essays for the book.  We have also added a few poets to the mix and a famous rapper as well.


Stay tuned for more and I appreciate your patience...it will be worth the wait!


Creatively and Gratefully 

Jonathan

Notable Readers

Thad Woodman
Adam Gomolin
Richard Saunders
Geoffrey Bernstein
Jack Thompson
Emma Mann-Meginniss
Larry Levitsky
Elizabeth Woodman
James Rainsley
Stephan V Bugaj
Jean-Marc Duong
Isabel Furneaux
Michael campbell
Richard Neely
Matthew Guma
Janet A Chambers
Deni Y Bechard
Janeen Williams
A Korijn
Dan Tague