New Orleans Artists Depict “Gun Violence” in Gun Control Museum

By Beth Baumann

A gallery in New Orleans has dedicated itself to talking about “gun violence” and the “problem” of guns in America. The museum has over 180 decomissioned guns that are used in art pieces used to depict the gun control view. The majority of the guns were purchased from the New Orleans Police Department’s gun buyback program.

“We want more than the screaming match. We wanted to take the conversation out of the polarized rhetoric into the realm of art as a possible means for a productive dialogue,” said gallery owner Jonathan Ferrera. “If you talk numbers or stats or you just listen to the vitriol, you lose the emotional content that should be a part of this conversation. Art captures the emotional best, and hopefully, it makes you think.”

Along with photographs and mixed media pieces, key gun control advocates, such as former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and former vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine, wrote “literary pieces” depicting their issues with guns.

“Urban violence has been a central theme in my work throughout the years. I’ve always lived in urban centers and have witnessed acts of violence,” said artist Luis Cruz Azaceta.