relief print from tooled leather and pen-plotter lettering; 10×10″, image 6×6″

“When I started work on “What Would Stop Shootings?”, the prints responded to mass shootings in Buffalo (10 dead) and Uvalde (22 dead, including the perpetrator). Before I was able to complete the series, there were two more deadly shootings in Tulsa (5 dead, including the perpetrator) and Centerville, TX (6 dead, including the perpetrator). Since completing the series, there have also been mass shootings in Philadelphia and Chattanooga. As many politicians are quick to point out, there are many factors involved: Buffalo — racism and white supremacy, Uvalde — multiple failures of police response and perhaps parenting, Tulsa — revenge, Centerville — an escaped violent criminal. But the common factor is the easy availability of weapons that have no legitimate, legal purpose. Eliminating them — figuratively tying them in knots — would stop these horrific mass shootings.”

ARTIST BIO: Jim Weaver grew up during the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights era, and the beginnings of the environmental protection movement. From those influences, he has worked in environmental restoration for many years. As a later-in-life emerging artist, his work reflects his upbringing yet expands the messages that can be given through scientific and engineering work alone.