‘Art in the Aftermath:' MSU hosts exhibition on gun violence
It's called 'Art in the Aftermath' and the goal is to heal scars left by gun violence. many of the contributors aren't artists, however. Instead, they are people who have had their own lives affected and want their message heard.
Scott Boehm, an event organizer, said art based on actual victims is powerful.
'You know you have to look into the eyes of one of the victims of gun violence, it's not just a name or a statistic, this was a human life, and is a human life,' said Boehm.
Scott Boehm received the commemorative art piece pictured below from the father of Joaquin Oliver, a boy who was killed in the 2018 Parkland, Florida school shooting. He said his impact is still felt through this art.
'Joaquin is still here, doing work that he had started when he was alive,' said Boehm.
Boehm hopes artistic tributes like this one can help the community share its own experience with gun violence.
'The fact that our campus was touched by this horrible epidemic of gun violence, and then to stand up and do something about that,' said Boehm. 'Obviously individual but also collective trauma, and to share that in a meaningful space.'
Maya Manuel, an MSU alum who was a student during the 2023 shooting, wants people to heal.
'Healing through art, I mean I would say that not everyone always has the proper words to use or share, but sometimes somebody knows exactly what to draw or what to write, to represent how they're feeling internally,' said Manuel.
She told me about soul boxes, an artistic way for anyone to express their feelings about gun violence, and Manuel said every message is different.
'People have embroidered the boxes, some of these boxes are memorials, some of these are just phrases and sayings,' says Manuel.
Even though they can't change the past, Boehm hopes art can help people get through tough times.
'Doing something meaningful during these times of reflection, I hope helps people get through it,' said Boehm.
The exhibition will be up until the 13th, and both students and non-students are welcome to come look at it—or even make art of their own.
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