A powerful opening for the third edition of the Souls Shot exhibition

Friday evening’s reception and event drew crowds in the hundreds. The families and friends of those in the portraits were greeted warmly and there were many stories told about the lives lived by their loved ones. State Senator Art Haywood, once again, delivered a stirring speech which was galvanizing and hopeful. Donte Johnson spoke about the loss of his dear brother Charles, whose portrait is in the second edition of the project, and gave a startlingly clear glimpse of the systems, unfortunately firmly in place, that support this violence. Bob Fles, the wonderful mc for the evening, also spoke about Heeding God’s Call to End Gun Violence. I think maybe the most moving part of the evening was when he looked out over the standing room crowd and asked for anyone effected by gun violence to stand or raise their hands. Seeing the majority of the crowd stand or raise their hands was chilling. Veronica Chapman-Smith sang her own arrangements of Amazing Grace and He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands. The angels could hear her clear and powerful voice! The Reverend John Wilkinson was last to speak. He also continued the theme of the evening, honoring these souls, in his sermon Sunday morning. Here is a link to the sermon. http://www.chestnuthillpres.org/worship/sermons/

Here are some excerpts from my remarks:

I am very sorry to have to be standing here, again, for the third edition of this project, surrounded by the portraits of so many beautiful souls who have been taken from us. The toll of gun violence is outrageous, literally.

Thank you to the very brave and grieving family members and friends of the loved ones here for sharing your stories with the artists and graciously allowing the artists to interpret their lives in their own styles, mediums, and approaches.

We are so grateful for the artists who have volunteered to interpret and illuminate the lives of these souls. Artwork blazes a very specific trail to the hearts and minds of those who experience it. These expressions of appreciation for their lives is evident to the hundreds of viewers who will experience these portraits as they travel for the next 12 months. They will be ambassadors – living on to tell their stories.

In the often quoted words of Anna Kocher, one of our artists and volunteer extraordinaire, this experience is an invitational approach to the issue of the gun violence rather than a confrontational one. I have yet to encounter anyone who has seen the portraits and not been significantly moved emotionally and moved to take action.

The families and friends of the subjects of the portraits grieve often without the public support that is afforded surviving family and friends of victims of mass shootings. Most of the portraits here represent people that live in areas where there is gun violence every single day. This project focuses on the lives lived, not the circumstances of the deaths. The show is an invitation to both celebrate the lives lead and mourn their horrific loss.

We hope you will take the time to get to know these souls who were so much more than their fate. Look and see the price our communities are paying for this epidemic. None of the shootings that took the lives of these souls here was justified, warranted, or fair in any way. Please greet the family and friends of those represented here, meet the artists, and celebrate the lives of these souls.

 Laura Madeleine