“Portrait of Jah’sun Patton,” Caroline Stoughton, acrylic, 16-inch-by-20-inch frame. The Montco Cultural Center will host the Souls Shot Portrait Project exhibition in the Theater Gallery on the Blue Bell Campus through April 24. Photo by Patrick Rodgers
An exhibition honoring and remembering the lives of victims of gun violence is on display at Montgomery County Community College.
The Montco Cultural Center is hosting the Souls Shot Portrait Project exhibition in the Theater Gallery of the Science Center on the Blue Bell Campus, 1313 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422 through April 24. The gallery is free and open to all and parking is free.
Twenty portraits in various media are on display throughout the exhibit. The Souls Shot Portrait Project honors people who’ve lost their lives to gun violence by memorializing them through art. Professional artists work with victims’ families and friends to create portraits of their loved ones and aid their healing process.
“This important project seeks to remember the lives taken by gun violence,” said Patrick Rodgers, Manager of the Montco Cultural Center. “We are honored to share this collection in our gallery and hope it brings attention to this important issue.”
Souls Shot Portrait Project Director Laura Madeleine said she hopes visitors would come away from the exhibition with a different understanding of the issue and cost of gun violence.
“This project, now in its 10th year, sadly, was designed to reach people on a different level,” she said, adding she felt society had grown numb to the issue of gun violence.
The project drew inspiration from Philadelphia artist Daniel Heyman’s Abu Ghraib Detainee Interview Project in 2006, which featured drawings of former inmates held at the infamous prison and quotes from their testimony featured within the images. The project’s goal was to provide a new perspective on the devastating effects of war.
“I’ve never been so moved by an exhibition,” said Madeleine, noting she felt a similar approach would be effective to address the issue of gun violence. “So, I asked other artists too, to see if we can meet with families who’ve lost someone. We wanted to present these victims as human beings who lived full lives before they were killed.”
The Theater Gallery is open Monday-Thursday 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is closed Saturday and Sunday unless there is a performance in the theater. Hours depend on the College Calendar.
For information or to arrange a guided group tour during or outside these hours, please contact Patrick Rodgers, Manager of the Montco Cultural Center.