Jerry Gant, Brushes Are My Weapon, Undated, Steel, H 9 1/2” x W 12 1/2” x D 1 1/4”, Courtesy of Linda Street and Pink Dragon Artist Syndicate LLC.
Artists
- Hannah Fitzgerald
- Jerry Gant
- Stephen Mckenzie
About
On June 25, 2024, Dr. Vivek Murthy, the US Surgeon General, declared gun violence a public health crisis. Advisories are reserved for significant public health challenges that require the nation’s immediate awareness and action.
The following data has been taken from this advisory.
• Since 2020, firearm related injury has been the leading cause of death for U.S. children and adolescents (ages 1–19), surpassing motor vehicle crashes, cancer, and drug overdose and poisoning.
• In 2022, 48,204 total people died from firearm related injuries, including suicides, homicides, and unintentional deaths. This is over 8,000 more lives lost than in 2019 and over 16,000 more lives lost than in 2010.
• A recent nationally representative survey found that the majority of U.S. adults or their family members (54%) have experienced a firearm-related incident.
• Among all respondents, 21% have personally been threatened with a firearm, 19% have a family member who was killed by a firearm (including by suicide), 17% have witnessed someone being shot, 4% have shot a firearm in self-defense, and 4% have been injured by a firearm.
• Nearly 6 in 10 U.S. adults say that they worry “sometimes,” “almost every day,” or “every day,” about a loved one being a victim of firearm violence.
• Such high levels of exposure to firearm violence for both children and adults give rise to a cycle of trauma and fear within our communities, contributing to the nation’s mental health crisis.
The three artists in this exhibition are exploring gun violence through their artwork, each with a unique read on the situation, and the impact of gun violence on their own lives: Hannah Fitzgerald, Jerry Gant, and Stephen McKenzie.
This exhibition is a collaboration between the School of Criminal Justice and the Paul Robeson Galleries. Funding for this exhibition was provided by the Cultural Programming Committee of Rutgers University – Newark. Additional in-kind support was provided by Form Design Studio at Express Newark.
Please note—the work in this exhibition represents the views of the artists and writers. Please be advised that some of the work is of a sensitive nature.
