Art > alienable right to life
2024
alienable
right to life
Displayed at Freedom Plaza May 10th-20th, 2024
2024
alienable
right to life
Displayed at Freedom Plaza May 10th-20th, 2024
Many people cite the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment in defense of unfettered gun access.
What they fail to also acknowledge is shooting victims' right to life as codified in the Declaration of Independence-- “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…”
One man whom I interviewed in West Virginia cited his right to bear arms as his most cherished freedom. With this artwork, I am trying to pull back that lens and broaden the dialogue. When one person's rights erase another's rights, a more careful balance must be struck.
Some use the right to life as an argument for preservation of fetal life. What about the preservation of school children at Sandy Hook Elementary School? The viability of students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School? The life force of concertgoers in Las Vegas?
Some use the right to life as an argument for preservation of fetal life. What about the preservation of school children at Sandy Hook Elementary School? The viability of students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School? The life force of concertgoers in Las Vegas?
Our right to life is denied by every mass-shooting perpetrator and by each person who argues against gun safety by invoking the sanctity of the Second Amendment.
This artwork was first exhibited in a Washington, DC gallery on a hot August afternoon in 2018. During the opening event, cell phones began to buzz. Police were racing to the Walmart in El Paso, Texas, the scene of yet another mass shooting. Later that evening, shots would ring out in downtown Dayton, Ohio. This artwork continues to grow.
If you would like to contribute to the installation, you may support through the America Remembers Fund. ARF is a nonprofit organization that supports public art installations to inspire dialogue and raise awareness about important societal issues.
