Songs and howls add to a moving reception for the exhibiton at Willingboro Public Library
On Saturday, December 7, there was a sumptuous spread laid out for visitors to the Souls Shot exhibition. The food for the soul was also abundant as the Rev. LeRoi Gill of Parkway Baptist Church led a beautiful program of singers and speakers. Charles Jennings and Harold Hemmings, both from the church, raised their powerful voices in song (with some help from a German Shepherd - more on that later). We heard from William Weston of the NAACP, Kelly Logan, who lost his beautiful teen aged daughter to gun violence and now is active in programs that encourage people to hand in their guns, Patricia Lindsey-Harvey of the Willingboro Community Development Corporation, and Laura Madeleine of the portrait project. Sherree Smith whose daughter, Lauren Fenningham’s, portrait is in the current exhibition spoke about her experience with the project and working with artist Elisa Markoff and her quest to keep her daughter’s memory alive. Jennifer Coburn, one of the artists, was able to explain her process and speak about working with the family of Dyshon Garner.
Rev. Gill, after attending the premiere of this third exhibition back in November in Chestnut Hill, where most of the artists and family members of victims were present, had the very compassionate idea to include some canine guests at the Willingboro Library reception. Thanks to Crisis Response Canines, we were able to interact with a half dozen dogs ranging from a hand held little guy to a Great Dane! It was such a sensitive thought to help those grieving in this way. And, the feeling in the gathering, while hopeful, is truly one of grieving for our communities. Kelly Logan spoke about those of us in this good fight being a kind of gang and how we can use that power to move forward and find solutions to this epidemic.
The Souls Shot portrait project is grateful to Rev. Gill for affording us this opportunity to reach so many in the beautiful library gallery setting and for the meaningful reception.