PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Gun violence in and around Philadelphia continues to fuel an art project that its curator wishes was not in demand.
The subjects of the Souls Shot Portrait Project are not just victims. They were sons, daughters, mothers, everyday people with grief-stricken families and friends who are left behind to mourn their loss, however long that may take.
The project started in 2016 when Laura Madeleine was asked to curate an exhibition in support of gun violence awareness for Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. It has sadly grown ever since.
“The idea is to celebrate the lives and to memorialize, and not dwell on the gory details. Because I feel that we’ve become numb to this,” said Madeleine, who lost a family friend to gun violence when she was a teenager.
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“The idea for this project was to really make the connection between who these people are who are affected, and hopefully move people to do something about changing the ways things are.”
The project pairs artists with affected families to create portraits of those who lost their lives to gun violence. The project is now in its seventh year, with no signs of ending.
“We already have a long list of participants, both artists and family members or friends of people affected,” said Madeleine.
“It's not a project we wanted to keep going for the reasons that we are, but there's no shortage of people who want to be a part of this project.”
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Madeleine said long after the headlines disappear, those left behind must find a way to live their lives after the life of someone they love is abruptly cut short. She says families who sign up for this are incredibly gracious, and brave to share intimate details of their loved ones.
“We've worked with people who've lost somebody a couple of months ago, and people who have lost someone years ago, but they're all still grieving,” said Madeline. “One person is not affected. It's the ripple effect that goes through the family in the community.”
She says memorializing a loved one though art is healing, and keeps their memory alive.
The first Souls Shot exhibit opening of the year starts Friday at the Markeim Art Center in Haddonfield and continues through Jan. 30. They say another of their exhibits is currently running at Congregation Beth Am Israel in Penn Valley, and another will premiere on Jan. 12 in Harrisburg.
Click here for their full schedule of exhibitions.
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