Souls Shot Portrait Project

The Souls Shot Portrait Project is a travelling exhibition that showcases portraits of those we have lost to gun violence. We knew that this was an important topic to bring to our museum, but we were also aware that it would require us to put thought into how to approach our audience. While gun violence is a non-partisan issue, gun control is a very sensitive topic, especially in areas like rural Pennsylvania where gun ownership is a large part of the culture. We had many discussions during the development of this exhibit and ultimately decided to focus on celebrating the lives of the people depicted in the portrait and encourage the viewer to think about their preconcieved notions about gun violence, who it affects, and what we can do to create change.

The set of works we put on display were Pennsylvania-specific, and some of the artists were even able to come and speak during our opening events. I was also running a group at the time called the Juniata Initiative for Healthy Masculinity and brought members to see this exhibition. We had a thoughtful discussion about masculinity, violence, and connecting emotionally with each other.