Souls Shot Portrait Project to Receive Honor at Opening Event, November 3

For the seventh year in a row, Souls Shot Portrait Project’s exhibition of portraits memorializing victims of gun violence in Philadelphia will premiere in Widener Hall at the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill. The opening reception and program will be November 3 from 7 to 9pm with doors opening at 7 and the program beginning at 7:30. Both exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.

Souls Shot Portrait Project will be officially designated as a Zone of Peace, an honor bestowed on the project by the Religious Leaders Council of Greater Philadelphia. The Council’s Call to People of Faith to Stop the Violence aims to “make our homes and neighborhoods zones of peace free from fear, filled with respect, and marked by deeds of kindness.” The group will present a banner to Souls Shot Portrait Project during the program. The project was lauded for the “compassionate process that goes into each portrait: the careful  selection of artists, the relationship that is created between the grieving family and the artist, the goal of creating an image that is both true to the life lost and relatable to others.”

At a past exhibition, Monique Lewis talks about her brother Richard Lewis, Jr, whose portrait, titled Pop Pop, by Martha Rich is seen here. Ms. Lewis addresses a youth group visiting the exhibition.

The event will also feature artists, survivors, community leaders, and a musical performance to honor the souls represented. For gallery hours please call 215 247 8855. For more information contact Souls Shot Portrait Project, soulsshotportraitproject.org, soulsshotportraitproject@gmail.com, or 215 740 8678.

Souls Shot Portrait Project pairs fine artists with families and friends of victims of gun violence. The artists  create portraits using diverse approaches and emphasize the individuality and uniqueness of the victims    portrayed. These portraits are presented in exhibitions that travel to various host venues over the course of one year. The exhibition opening in Chestnut Hill represents victims from Philadelphia and is a truly moving tribute and a call to action; a call to work towards ending the epidemic gun violence. Visiting the exhibition is a powerful experience and connects viewers with, and gives voice to, those taken by gun violence.