I.M.A.G.I.N.E Exhibition

Rhode Island I.M.A.G.I.N.E.s Peace: A Metals Exhibition

October 7-29, 2021

Named after John Lennon’s song “Imagine,” Rhode Island I.M.A.G.I.N.E.s (Innovative Merger of Art & Guns to Inspire New Expressions) Peace is a carefully curated exhibition of work by metals artists who are transforming decommissioned guns into art objects specifically for this show. The exhibition will take place in the Edward Mitchell Bannister Gallery at Rhode Island College in Fall 2021. A select group of metal artists, listed below, from all over the United States were invited to participate in recontextualizing these weapons of destruction for new purposes of exploration and dialogue.

Attendant programming in the form of a three-part symposium hosted in Rhode Island College’s Art Department expands the mission of the exhibition by bringing attention to the wider pandemic of gun violence, in all of its forms, that has spread across the country. We invite members of our community, local and national, to join us in bringing together various perspectives and to participate in lectures, panels, and open conversation about guns and gun violence. Together, the exhibition and programming invite discussion and hope to clarify the intersection of art and the role of guns, the rights of citizens, and the laws that oversee guns in American society today.

The exhibition and corresponding events are organized by Boris Bally, metal artist; Dianne Reilly, Studio Art Professor; Sara Picard, Art History Professor; and Victoria Gao, Director of the Bannister Gallery.

Invited Artists:

Matthew Coté
Lauren DelBrocco*
Peter Diepenbrock
Shingo Furukawa
Ingrid Goldbloom Bloch
Stefan Gougherty
Hoss Haley
Vee Hight*
John Huckins
Rob Jackson
Nicole Jacquard
Niki Johnson
Terry Lavin
Tim Lazure
Michael Nashef
John Rais
Catherine Rubery*
Howie Sneider + Peter Tenney
Peter Snyder
Billie Theide
James Thurman
Jennifer Walstead*
Stephen Yusko

*indicates Rhode Island College alumni