Seen and Heard: Bullets to Bells
An event for Gun Violence Healing July 15, 2023, 4:00 pm Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church
Witness artist Stephanie Mercedes transform weapons into music. You are invited to join people gathering for a ceremony of healing from gun violence. Washington, DC based artist Stephanie Mercedes will melt bullet casings and transform them into bells. We will share an experience of communal lament in a tangible, audible, visible way.
This is a very important event that FCC is supporting through the Wholeness Fund, and in light of the continued increase in gun violence in our city and our nation, this is a GREAT OPPORTUNITY to show up and support this message and support this project that Wendy has worked hard with Hennepin Ave UMC to bring to Minneapolis – we need YOU there!
LOCATION: Hennepin Ave UMC, 511 Groveland Avenue
There will limited parking in the east parking lot and street parking.
Your best parking option (one block away) is the Walker Art Center/Vineland Place Ramp, accessible from an entrance on Vineland Place at Bryant Avenue.
Schedule:
4:00 pm Church bells ring
4:15 Music from interfaith choirs
4:30 Words of lament
4:45 The Melting
5:15 Ringing of bells to honor victims Improvisational Music
5:30 Ringing of bells of hope Bell choirs from churches
5:45 Words of Hope
6:00 Closing (note: there will also be an artist Q & A with Mercedes following the event)
Gun Violence has long lasting impacts on victims and ripples throughout communities and beyond Art has a way to quiet our inner voices and help us find “moral sentiments – those instant, aesthetic-like reactions that cause us to feel disgust in the presence of cruelty and admiration in the presence of generosity” (Brooks, David. The Power of Art in a Political Age, New York Times, March 2, 2023). There is also healing power in ritual and lament. Sharing lament in group gatherings helps us slow down to acknowledge grief that does not dissipate.
About Mercedes: Mercedes is an uncategorized Queer Latinx artist who choreographs large scale performances and installations based in sound. Mercedes transforms weapons into musical installations and works of art. Mercedes website is www.stephaniemercedes.com. Read more about Mercedes at: YouTube, Instagram: mercedes_theartist, Artsy, and District Fray Magazine. Mercedes has exhibited and performed at the Bronx Museum, the Queens Museum, the Smithsonian, the Kennedy Center, and the National Gallery of Art. Her most recent project is Never in Our Image, a three-part, queer gun destruction opera, expected to premier in fall 2023.
Sponsors: First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church. This is a FCC Wholeness Fund funded project and FCC member Rev. Wendy Manuel is the Project Manager.
