REPAIR THE WORLD INVITES BROOKLYN-BASED ARTIST DUO
TO EXHIBIT GUNS DON’T KILL . . . A RE-IMAGINING,
THEIR SERIES OF ANTI-GUN-VIOLENCE ART
The Brooklyn-based branch of Repair the World―the non-profit Jewish-based social justice organization that partners with neighborhood grassroots organizations and galvanizes thousands of volunteers nationwide―has invited longtime Brooklyn-based artistic collaborators Michael K. Dorr and Evan Schwartz to exhibit their series of thirteen anti-gun-violence artworks titled GUNS DON’T KILL . . . A RE-IMAGINING at its Brooklyn headquarters on 808 Nostrand Avenue. The exhibition, the culmination of over two years’ worth of labor and passion, will open on February 1, 2018 and will continue until April 30, 2018.
“With over 250 victims of gun violence in the city through May of this year alone, Michael and Evan’s art shines a necessary light on a seemingly intractable obstacle to creating safe and flourishing neighborhoods,” says Cindy Greenberg, Executive Director of Repair the World New York. “The art also seeks to clarify the crisis confronting us by examining America’s long-standing relationship with firearms. Seeking to comprehend the present by understanding the past is deeply rooted in Jewish life and thought, and motivates our mandate and mission. The artists’ approach makes GUNS DON’T KILL . . . A RE-IMAGINING an ideal fit with Repair the World.”
Based on iconic American artworks by such artists as JOHN TRUMBULL, MARY CASSATT, WINSLOW HOMER, EDWARD HOPPER, MAN RAY, NORMAN ROCKWELL, THOMAS HART BENTON, andDR. SEUSS, the thirteen pieces (one for each original colony) span more than a 150 years of American representational art and history, from the Revolutionary War to the mid-twentieth century.
The GUNS DON’T KILL art examines the darker aspects of America’s national identity and values that continue to haunt the 21st-century landscape while it explores the myriad manifestations of the United States’ enduring and often dysfunctional relationship with guns: mass shootings; gun accidents among children and teens; suicide by gun shot (the most common method in the U.S.); firearms as instruments of racism and oppression; media coverage and its impact; war and the obscenely lucrative weapons industry.
As Evan notes, “Our country was founded not only on the Declaration of Independence but on a gun shot―‘the Shot Heard ’round the World.’” In Michael’s view, “GUNS DON’T KILL exists not just to be looked at, but to serve as both a catharsis and catalyst. And Repair the World has generously offered to help us realize that aspiration.”
“The last thing we want,” Evan adds, “is for the artwork to gather dust for three months.”
To that end, during the run of the exhibition Repair the World will be hosting a variety of theme-based events, from a panel discussion on gun violence to art workshops. Please visit its web site www.werepair.org for further details.
When asked why the focus on guns and why such a large intensive body of work was necessary to address the problem, Michael replied, “The issue demands it. This is our neighborhood, our country. Evan and I, before we even met, were separately sickened by the Sandy Hook massacre. We only created GUNS DON’T KILL because our government’s criminal indifference and, in our view, complicity in gun violence appalled and outraged us. How many children must be slaughtered before sanity returns to our national psyche?”
To view a slideshow of the GUNS DON'T KILL series of Sculptings, please go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWSMXqnCmY4&t=261s
Visit our website: www.evanschwartzart.com
For information about the exhibition and Repair the World please contact:
Becca Atlas, becca.atlas@werepair.org
Rafaella Glasser, raffaella.glasser@werepair.org
For interviews with the artists please contact:
Evan Schwartz, evanschwartzart@gmail.com
Michael K. Dorr, mkdorr95@cs.com
Follow us on Facebook at Guns Don’t Kill A Re-Imagining @GDKSculptings and Twitter @GDKaReImaging
About Repair the World NYC
Repair the World’s NYC initiative launched in the fall of 2015 to tackle pressing local needs by mobilizing communities to volunteer. We enable people to transform their neighborhoods, city and lives through meaningful service experiences, rooted in Jewish values, history and heritage. Our team of eight full time fellows partners with ten organizations in Crown Heights and Bed Stuy to recruit and train the volunteers needed to address education inequity and food justice needs in Central Brooklyn. Repair the World’s collaborative community storefront space at 808 Nostrand Ave is a hub for service and social justice initiatives.
