Bonds that can't be broken and those that can

This image by artist Meri Adelman is a charcoal drawing with an ink drawing on acetate superimposed on top of it. The charcoal drawing is Trina Singleton. The ink is her son Darryl. This image, and others, did not make it into our catalog but were on view when the first edition of Souls Shot: Portraits of Victims of Gun Violence was on display.

It is hard to feel the impact of this approach as viewed here in a photograph but the melding of the image of son on mother is powerful. Trina’s connection to her son can never be severed in some ways but she must live with the daily grief of not having his physical presence, not being able to hold him, laugh with him, maybe scold him on occasion, sing with him, share a meal with him. We absorb our loved ones into our very selves which makes the pain so much worse when they are taken from us.

The epidemic gun violence breaks bonds daily while strengthening the bonds that move us forward in the fight to end the senseless violence and loss.