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#UNLOAD: GUNS IN THE HANDS OF ARTISTS

The Fairfield University Art Museum

1 June - 13 October 2018

PAUL VILLINSKI, Seed, 2018

PAUL VILLINSKI

Seed, 2018

aluminum (found cans), wire, wood, bullet casings

installation variable

Club S+S, SMAC - Distillation, 2018

Club S+S

SMAC - Distillation, 2018

custom formed glass, decommissioned gun parts, gel

23.50h x 11w x 11d in

PAUL VILLINSKI, Celtic, 2018

PAUL VILLINSKI

Celtic, 2018

decommissioned guns

23.75h x 15w x 1.88d in

PAUL VILLINSKI, Calvary, 2018

PAUL VILLINSKI

Calvary, 2018

bullet casings

15h x 9w x 1.13d in

PAUL VILLINSKI, Never, 2018

PAUL VILLINSKI

Never, 2018

decommissioned guns

13.75h x 53w x 2d in

MARCUS KENNEY, Girl with Gun, 2015

MARCUS KENNEY

Girl with Gun, 2015

sublimated print on aluminum

61.25h x 43.25w in
1AP of 3, with 1AP

JOHN SCHUERMAN, Plaything, 2017

JOHN SCHUERMAN

Plaything, 2017

.45 caliber pistol, children's table and chair set, teddy bear, ink drawing on paper

37h x 36w x 20d in

GENERIC ART SOLUTIONS, Target: Audience (9mm), 2016

GENERIC ART SOLUTIONS

Target: Audience (9mm), 2016

vintage gumball machine, plastic casings, 9mm bullets

BRIAN BORRELLO, Prosthesis for Instant Manhood, 1996

BRIAN BORRELLO

Prosthesis for Instant Manhood, 1996

leather, chromed steel, epoxy, confiscated .44 magnum handgun

12h x 14w x 9d in

Rico Gatson, Gun Drop Echo, 2014

Rico Gatson

Gun Drop Echo, 2014

video

2 of 3 with 2 APs

MEL CHIN, Aileen, 2015

MEL CHIN

Aileen, 2015

concrete, Hi-Standard .22 revolver

64h x 12w x 12d in

MARCUS KENNEY, Girl with Gun, 2015

MARCUS KENNEY

Girl with Gun, 2015

sublimated print on aluminum

61.25h x 43.25w in
3 of 3, with 1AP

MARCUS KENNEY, Girl with Gun, 2015

MARCUS KENNEY

Girl with Gun, 2015

sublimated print on aluminum

61.25h x 43.25w in
2 of 3, with 1 AP

ANDREI CODRESCU, A Southern American Story, 2014

ANDREI CODRESCU

A Southern American Story, 2014

vinyl lettering

Club S+S, SMAC II, 2015

Club S+S

SMAC II, 2015

custom formed glass, decommissioned gun parts, gel

10h x 10w x 10d in

Bradley McCallum, Smelting: A Gun Legacy, 1996-2014

Bradley McCallum

Smelting: A Gun Legacy, 1996-2014

smelted decommissioned guns

23h x 23w in

MEL CHIN, Arthur, 2014

MEL CHIN

Arthur, 2014

concrete, two Colt .38 caliber revolvers

67h x 12w x 12d in

R. Luke DuBois, Take a Bullet for This City, 2014

R. Luke DuBois

Take a Bullet for This City, 2014

Walther PPK 9mm, steel plate, mechanism, minicomputer

24h x 24w x 24d in

SIDONIE VILLERE, Residual, 2014

SIDONIE VILLERE

Residual, 2014

plywood, acrylic, gun cylinders, muslin and plaster

46h x 38w x 3d in

GENERIC ART SOLUTIONS, Target: Audience, 2014

GENERIC ART SOLUTIONS

Target: Audience, 2014

vintage gumball machine, 2,000 rounds of .22 hollow point bullets

14h x 8w x 8d in

RON BECHET, Why! (Is it Easier to Get a Gun than an Education, A Gun Instead of Help?), 2014

RON BECHET

Why! (Is it Easier to Get a Gun than an Education, A Gun Instead of Help?), 2014

map, gun parts, paint on wood panel

28h x 38w x 5d in

Bradley McCallum, Smelting: A Gun Legacy, 1996-2014

Bradley McCallum

Smelting: A Gun Legacy, 1996-2014

smelted decommissioned guns

23h x 23w in

GENERIC ART SOLUTIONS, One Hot Month, 2002-2014

GENERIC ART SOLUTIONS

One Hot Month, 2002-2014

silkscreen on photogram

49h x 84w in

SKYLAR FEIN, Kurt Cobong, 2014

SKYLAR FEIN

Kurt Cobong, 2014

Mossberg 500 shotgun, bong, tape

7h x 41w in

Nicholas Varney, Onegin, 2014

Nicholas Varney

Onegin, 2014

decommissioned gun, and bullet comprised of 18K yellow gold, D/E/F IF/VVS colorless diamonds weighing 1.64 carats

Club S+S, SMAC, 2014

Club S+S

SMAC, 2014

custom formed glass, decommissioned gun parts, gel

8h x 13w x 8d in

RON BECHET, Swords to Ploughshares, 2014

RON BECHET

Swords to Ploughshares, 2014

palm fronds, gun parts, paint on wood panel

37h x 42w x 6d in

PAUL VILLINSKI, Epitaph, 2014

PAUL VILLINSKI

Epitaph, 2014

shotgun, aluminum (found can), soot, steel

37h x 5w x 5d in

Robert C. Tannen, Double Barreled Shotgun House, 2014

Robert C. Tannen

Double Barreled Shotgun House, 2014

decommissioned shotgun barrel and sheetmetal

3h x 39w x 4d in

PAUL VILLINSKI, Mourn, 2014

PAUL VILLINSKI

Mourn, 2014

handgun, aluminum (found can), soot, steel

11h x 6w x 4d in

KATRINA ANDRY, Disappear, 2014

KATRINA ANDRY

Disappear, 2014

woodcut monoprint

22h x 62w in

WILLIAM VILLALONGO, Sleeping on Reason, 2014

WILLIAM VILLALONGO

Sleeping on Reason, 2014

gun, ceramic head, velvet flock, velvet pillow in PlexiGlass box

12h x 12w x 8d in

MARGARET EVANGELINE, Disintegrating Relic, 2014

MARGARET EVANGELINE

Disintegrating Relic, 2014

oil on linen

36h x 34w in

Robert C. Tannen, Four Barreled Handgun, 2014

Robert C. Tannen

Four Barreled Handgun, 2014

decomissioned handguns

8h x 6w x 3d in

Robert C. Tannen, Specie-Men Gun Parts in a Bottle, 2014

Robert C. Tannen

Specie-Men Gun Parts in a Bottle, 2014

decomissioned handguns in glass bottle

10h x 5w x 5d in

PETER SARKISIAN, Recoil, 2014

PETER SARKISIAN

Recoil, 2014

table, gun, book, ceramic plate, photographic paper, video projection, audio

28h x 31w x 20d in

Jonathan Ferrara, Excalibur No More, 2014

Jonathan Ferrara

Excalibur No More, 2014

Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun, Colorado River rock

44h x 30w x 19d in

ADAM MYSOCK, The Last Six, Under Six, Murdered by a Gun in the Sixth, 2014

ADAM MYSOCK

The Last Six, Under Six, Murdered by a Gun in the Sixth, 2014

acrylic on copper, mounted in wall

14h x 39w in

ADAM MYSOCK, Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun (Last Judgment), 2014

ADAM MYSOCK

Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun (Last Judgment), 2014

acrylic on panel, mounted on a J.P. Sauer Sohn shotgun

12h x 47w x 21d in

MK Guth, Bang, 2014

MK Guth

Bang, 2014

steel

5h x 7w in

Deborah Luster, Forms of Correspondence, I. (Yes, No, Goodbye), 2014

Deborah Luster

Forms of Correspondence, I. (Yes, No, Goodbye), 2014

Winchester 1200 shotgun, cypress, ink, acrylic, crystal

30h x 33w x 26d in

Luis Cruz Azaceta, Needle Gun, 2014

Luis Cruz Azaceta

Needle Gun, 2014

permanent ink on paper

35h x 18w in

Luis Cruz Azaceta, Street Sign, 2014

Luis Cruz Azaceta

Street Sign, 2014

acrylic, toy gun, wire, wood

100h x 17w in

Luis Cruz Azaceta, Taperuler Gun, 2014

Luis Cruz Azaceta

Taperuler Gun, 2014

taperuler and decommissioned handgun

3h x 12w in

Luis Cruz Azaceta, Carousel, 2014

Luis Cruz Azaceta

Carousel, 2014

guns, tape, plastic, metal, wire, wood

40h x 45w x 40d in

Neil Alexander, Growing up in a Gun Culture, My Son, 1996-2014

Neil Alexander

Growing up in a Gun Culture, My Son, 1996-2014

sublimated prints on aluminum

1 of 3

Ted Riederer, Of Guns and Drums, 2014

Ted Riederer

Of Guns and Drums, 2014

marching band bass drum, stand, digitally printed drum heads, and drum mallets made from reclaimed shotgun barrels

33h x 31w x 18d in

Luis Cruz Azaceta, Carry On, Drugs, Gun & Teddy Bear, 2014

Luis Cruz Azaceta

Carry On, Drugs, Gun & Teddy Bear, 2014

mixed media with suitcase

39h x 22w x 15d in

Luis Cruz Azaceta, Shot, 2014

Luis Cruz Azaceta

Shot, 2014

cotton, nails, duct tape, and shelf with 6 guns

37h x 48w x 11d in

John Barnes, Marigny Warning, 2014

John Barnes

Marigny Warning, 2014

decommissioned shotgun barrels and mixed wood

22h x 62w x 5d in

Press Release

#UNLOAD: Guns in the Hands of Artists

Walsh Gallery

June 1 - October 13, 2018

 

The Fairfield University Art Museum, in partnership with # UNLOAD and the Guns In The Hands of Artists Foundation, is proud to announce the opening of the exhibition, # UNLOAD : Guns in the Hands of Artists. Each piece in the exhibition was created using decommissioned guns, taken off the streets of New Orleans via a gun buyback program and distributed to internationally-known artists. Painters, glass artists, sculptors, photographers, poets, and other artists used the decommissioned firearms to create works of art that address the complex issue of guns and gun violence. The exhibition originated in mid-1990s New Orleans, where a spiking murder rate led artist Brian Borrello to conceive of the first iteration of Guns in the Hands of Artists exhibition by bringing the discussion over the role of guns and gun violence in our society into the realm of art -- art as the language for dialogue and possibly change without the often partisan and polarized politics that surround the issue. Borrello and gallery owner Jonathan Ferrara mounted this exhibition at Positive Space The Gallery in September 1996 in the Lower Garden District of New Orleans. In 2014, Ferrara reorganized the exhibition to feature work by internationally recognized artists. Through their own medium, each artist has used the decommissioned firearms to create works that express a thought, make a statement, open a discussion, and stimulate thinking about guns in our culture.

 

This exhibition is a part of # UNLOAD, an arts-based initiative in Connecticut that seeks to drive consensus around the divisive issue of gun violence. Visit theunloadusa.org website for more information about the many events taking place across the state in 2018 that will engage our communities in vibrant dialogue about this important issue. # UNLOAD and the Fairfield University Art Museum believe in the power of the arts to ignite change in society.

 

In collaboration with the Guns in the Hands of Artists Foundation, # UNLOAD , and the Quick Center for the Arts, the museum hopes to engage partners and collaborators in taking a hard look at the serious public health consequences of gun violence in America. Please check back here often as additional programming is in the works. We hope that the exhibition and the events presented in conjunction with it will offer unique opportunities to engage in the conversation about guns in our society, using art as the catalyst for dialogue.