A collaboration with Artspace and Unload Foundation
October 11 – November 11
#Unload: Pick Up the Pieces, an unjuried, inclusive, community-driven exhibition at Ely Center of Contemporary Art, explores issues surrounding gun control laws and the impact of guns on society. The exhibition aims to raise questions regarding violence, safety, gender, equality, and the influence of media on violence and mental health stigmas.
Artists from diverse backgrounds and working across all media will create material-driven and conceptually-charged works either from decommissioned gun parts from a Hartford buy-back program or works inspired by the theme. The gun parts were selected from the Knolling Performance that took place at Artspace, July 12. The artworks can manifest in any medium, including drawings, paintings, photographs, sculptures, videos, installations, performance, and writing. The requirement is that the artwork reflects our culture’s divided attitudes towards gun control, gun safety, gun reform, the constitutional right to bear arms, as well as recent events relating to gun use, ownership, safety, and violence.
The exhibition will be a highlight of Artspace’s 20th annual City-Wide Open Studios festival. Thanks to our generous sponsors, there is no cost to be a part of the exhibition, and artists and collectives of all ages are encouraged to apply.
The exhibition will run from October 11 to November 11 complemented by artist talks, panel discussions, presentations by political candidates and other community notables and a voters registration table leading up to the November 6 mid-term elections. For a more detailed list of our events, please go to: www.elycenter.org/events-calendar/.
Two receptions will take place that are free and open to the public. The opening reception is Thursday, October 11 from 5–8 pm and the closing reception is Sunday, November 11, 1–3 pm.
Thanks to our sponsors:
