Powerful Public Participatory Art
Installation Addressing Gun Violence Open To the
Public in Freedom Plaza Through May
20
WASHINGTON, May 10, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Striking new work from the acclaimed visual
artist behind the Covid flags on the Mall opened to the public
today at Freedom Plaza in Washington,
D.C. Suzanne Brennan
Firstenberg launched her latest work "alienable right to
life," at a moving opening ceremony, where Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Representative
Jamie Raskin, and Chaplain Denise
Reid, Moms Demand Action Maryland joined the artist in calling for
freedom from gun violence, and noting the importance of public
participatory art work that can create opportunities to personalize
and spark meaningful conversations around an issue that affects one
in three Americans.
"America's greatness comes not from waving the flag but
from caring for each person, each life it represents," said
Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg. "For
ten days, in our nation's capital, this is a space for mourning
those we have lost, facing our fears, and considering how better to
balance the rights we cherish."
The dramatic appearance of a 34-foot by 24-foot American
flag, with the Declaration of Independence towering behind it, will
surprise viewers along Pennsylvania Avenue. As visitors draw near,
the subject of gun violence will become apparent as they realize
the flag is created from the names of mass shooting victims,
beginning with those who died at Columbine High School.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of that tragic day. Year
after year, more names of places — Parkland, Sandy Hook, Las
Vegas, Highland Park — tragically become synonyms for
senseless and yet preventable deaths. Additional elements are an
original poem addressing all victims of gun violence, and an 8 x 13
circular mural for visitors to share personal stories. On the
inside circle of the mural will be an American flag where visitors
may add the names of loved ones lost to gun violence, mirroring the
larger installation. On the exterior, visitors can add their own
stories and their wishes for freedom from fear of gun
violence.
"Today, in America, gun violence is the number one killer
of teens and children," Speaker Emerita
Pelosi said. "The magnitude of the loss and suffering in our
communities is nearly unimaginable. But as Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg's stunning visual
reminds us, the arts are a powerful force to bring us together. May
this moving display serve as a beacon of hope and resilience for
our entire nation, as we continue our fight to end the
bloodshed."
In recent decades, the U.S. has increasingly unfettered
gun access based on the interpretation of the U.S. Constitution's
Second Amendment as being an individual, rather than a collective
right. This new installation incorporates the original founding
document, the Declaration of Independence, which begins with the
'unalienable' right to life. This art is a plea for more reasoned
approaches and a better balancing of rights.
"We've lost more Americans to gun violence at home than we
lost in the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War,
Vietnam War, and the Iraq War combined," said Congressman
Jamie Raskin. "This is the endless
war at home, and Suzanne
Firstenberg's astonishing new installation is a haunting
portrait of our seemingly intractable national condition.
Firstenberg's powerful art asks us whether we have the will to
break the gun industry's stranglehold on our politics to pass
common sense gun reform measures backed by the vast majority of
Americans."
While the installation's massive American flag is created
from the names of 1,039 mass shooting victims, victims from other
types of gun violence–accidental shootings, domestic violence,
suicide–are honored in an original poem on the artwork's side
panel.
"A senseless act of violence took my precious child from
me, and senseless acts of gun violence continue to plague our
communities," said Chaplain Denise Reid. "How far to the sky would
this flag need to be to include all the names of those needlessly
lost? As this art beautifully conveys, the Declaration of
Independence clearly expressed 248 years ago that everybody has the
right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. These are our
basic, fundamental, human rights, and a person shall not be
deprived of their life. We must prioritize public
safety."
Firstenberg is known for the landmark "In
America: Remember" exhibition which
blanketed 20 acres of the National Mall with 701,000 white
flags, each one honoring someone in America who had died from
COVID-19. The exhibit physically manifested the magnitude of loss.
The largest art installation on the Mall since the AIDS quilt, it
transformed the Mall into a national place of mourning for 17 days.
Twenty thousand people dedicated flags to loved ones lost. With
"alienable right to life," she employs the power of public
art to inspire change and challenge societal attitudes.
Additional art installation information:
- alienable right to life will run ten days
from May 10 through May 20,
2024.
- The public can participate: During the installation visitors
can share personal stories, incorporating them in the mural, or
they can lay flowers, notes and mementos.
- For those who cannot visit in May, they can share their stories
on social media using the hashtags #EndGunViolence,
#PublicArt, #KeepGoing
- Programming will occur at the art installation, more
information
at https://www.suzannefirstenberg.com/alienable-right-to-life
- The art installation can travel or be replicated physically or
through projection in other cities wishing to commemorate those
lost to gun violence.
- Press materials/photos available here
- Link to public webcam here
alienable right to life is a privately funded art project of the
America Remembers Fund, made possible with a team of collaborators
and volunteers including the National Park Service & the
DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID).
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SOURCE America Remembers Fund