A Juried International Exhibition at The Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts to support a gun buyback program.
One Gun Gone: Thoughts and Prayers are Not Enough is a juried international photography exhibition addressing gun violence in America. Assembled from a national call for entries by juror Boris Bally, the exhibition is the third in a series designed to provide opportunities to support positive change in the community.
On View: October 18 through November 9th
Opening Reception: October 18th 5:00 – 9:00pm
This exhibition is produced by the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts in partnership with “One Gun Gone” [http://onegungone.com], a multi-disciplinary gun violence prevention public art project. One Gun Gone is run by Rhode Island educator and photographer Scott Lapham and engages students in underserved neighborhoods.
The idea for this collaboration started with the Candle Gun Sculpture, one of several sculptures produced as part of the One Gun Gone program to help start a conversation or help community members deal with the aftermath of gun violence in a non-threatening way.
“The Candle Gun Sculpture was inspired by the sidewalk shrines that appear when someone has been killed on the street due to gun violence. Amid the stuffed animals, empty bottles and flowers are votive candles lit to mourn the passing of someone loved. We decided we wanted to create a sculpture that spoke to why someone was being mourned, to begin with.”
Nationally our leaders seem to have forgotten that Thoughts and Prayers are just a starting point… This exhibition was conceived as a chance to address this national problem in a more productive manner. The work accepted into this exhibition addresses gun violence, presenting alternate viewpoints and reflecting on how gun violence affects a wide range of communities nationwide. We sought to provide people the opportunity to address this ongoing tragedy actively and present a series of visuals to spark action. This was a call for action, not words – Prayers were never intended to be an end in themselves…
Profits from this call will go to fund a gun buyback program. Additionally, we are offering a special edition Candle Gun Sculpture that has been produced just for this exhibition, [https://www.riphotocenter.org/support-one-gun-gone/] by One Gun Gone. Proceeds from the sale of the sculpture will support the gun buyback run with the assistance of the Providence Police Department.
We would like to extend a special thank you to everyone who supported this project through their donation of time, promotional efforts or through submitting their work for entry in this exhibition. We are grateful for the participation of all these concerned citizens.
Accepted Artists include: Chris Allan, Phyllis Bankier, Tad Benson, Paul Berger, Joan Lobis Brown, G. S. Broz, Leif Carlson, Leonard Correa, Katy DeZellar, Mark Dolce, Yorgos Efthymiadis, Gwendolyn Emminger, Elaine Fisher, Joe Greene, Rusty Leffel, James Long, Charlie Mccullers, George Miller, Kean Obrien, Philomena Odea, Hendrik Paul, Joe Quint, Phil Roeder, Robert Silance, Steven White, David Whitney, Nancy Wynn, Mike Zeis.
Prayers were never intended to be an end in themselves…
Update
An exhibition addressing gun violence in support of a gun buyback generated many interesting conversations and reactions to the work presented. Thanks to everyone who attended or stopped in to view the exhibition and as always thanks to all the artists who participated in this call for entries. The diversity of the images presented made for a strong show that proved popular and engaging among the visitors to the gallery. Here are some views from the gallery.
The juror’s final selection for this exhibition included 53 works by 26 Photographers from 16 states. First Place was awarded to Listen Up by Phil Roeder of Des Moines, IA. Second Place was awarded to Clai by Joe Quint of Brooklyn, NY and Third Place was awarded to GSB 1538 by G.S. Broz of Pittsburgh, PA. Juror, Boris Bally was pleased with everyone’s efforts in making this exhibition a success and has donated a number of books from his Imagine Peace Now project to support the gun buyback. Below is the list of the photographers whose work has been accepted. The numbers in parentheses indicate the number of pieces if higher than one.
| Chris Allan | Sacramento, CA |
| Phyllis Bankier | Milwaukee, WI |
| Tad Benson (2) | Burbank, CA |
| Paul Berger (2) | Newtown, CT |
| Joan Lobis Brown (2) | New York, NY |
| G.S. Broz | Pittsburgh, PA |
| Leif Carlson (3) | Richmond Hill, GA |
| Leonard Correa | Ivins, UT |
| Katy DeZellar (2) | Shoreview, MN |
| Mark Dolce (3) | Denver, CO |
| Yorgos Efthymiadis (2) | Somerville, MA |
| Gwendolyn Emminger (2) | Seattle, WA |
| Elaine Fisher | Baltimore, OH |
| Joe Greene (2) | Boston, MA |
| Rusty Leffel (2) | Mission Hills, KS |
| James Long (3) | New York, NY |
| Charlie Mccullers (2) | Waleska, GA |
| George Miller | Whitewater, WI |
| Kean Obrien | Los Angeles, CA |
| Philomena Odea | Pittsburgh, PA |
| Hendrik Paul (2) | Mill Valley, CA |
| Joe Quint (3) | Brooklyn, NY |
| Phil Roeder (3) | Des Moines, IA |
| Robert Silance (2) | Clemson, CA |
| Steven White (2) | Suffolk, VA |
| David Whitney (4) | Andover, MA |
| Nancy Wynn | Amesbury, MA |
| Mike Zeis | Uxbridge, MA |
Where are the accepted images?