INDIANAPOLIS — There's a unique project underway in Indianapolis that's meant to get people talking about gun violence and mobilize people to help stop the loss of life.
It's counting on creativity to spark conversation.
A local artist is using surrendered firearms to create works of art and forge peace.
Artist Quincy Owens works in multiple mediums to get people thinking.
He's a painter. A maker. A risk taker.
Now, inside his fabrication studio on on the east side of Indianapolis, the materials and message for his latest project have an especially important purpose.
He hopes to spark dialogue about gun violence by turning guns into art.
"I hope it has the opportunity to make an impact, a statement." Owens said. "That's why I make all of the artwork I make is to invite conversations about all sorts of different things, and this is a highly important topic."
"And at this point, I think we really need to throw everything at the wall and figure out what we can do to address the public health crisis that we have," said Rebecca McCracken, coalition coordinator for the Marion County Youth Violence Prevention Coalition. "Let's turn this on its head. Let's take something meant for harm and turn it into something beautiful."
This project is through the Marion County Youth Violence Prevention Coalition, and it comes at a time when firearms are the leading cause of death of kids in our country, when youth gun violence in Indianapolis is high.
The idea of art made from gun parts is patterned after a program in the Presbyterian church.
"They have a 'guns to gardens' program across the country. It's based on that verse in the Bible about turning swords into plowshares," McCracken said. "They bring in firearms, and they turn them into garden tools."
Artwork is the goal here in Indianapolis.
So in May, the MCYVPC invited people to turn in unwanted, unloaded guns at a local church, in exchange for gas cards.
The idea is so the weapons don't end up on the streets.
"We don't want firearms that are turned in to end up back in the marketplace or pieces of them to end up back in the marketplace, so this is a guaranteed way to demolish the firearm and make sure it's not going to be used for future harm," McCracken said.
They had 32 firearms surrendered.
All of those were dismantled onsite by Owens.
Now comes the transformation.
"I like to build things. I like to make things. I like to problem-solve. I like to troubleshoot," Owens said. "This is basically like I went to the store and got a new puzzle, as an artist, you know what I mean?"
He's still brainstorming on specific pieces but has some creative ideas with impact.
"Gun violence is ugly. So, maybe the sculpture that ends up coming out of this is ugly as well, as a symbol of it," Owens said. "I've also got a glassblowing artist friend. We're hoping to dip these barrels down into molten glass and then turn the body of the vase into a beautiful glass plume form."
"I have some of the wood gun stocks I don't know exactly what to do with yet, but we've got a whole woodworking shop here, and then there are lots of smaller components that we're hopefully going to heat up the forge, melt down and then see what those can become, probably like sculptural," Owens said. "Honestly, something more in line with peace instead of violence, like maybe like steel bowls — things you would give offerings with instead of violence with."
Eventually, they may display the pieces in a gallery setting so that people discuss what they see.
"I really do think that anytime that we can try to tear down some barriers and have life-giving conversations about hard topics, (it) is really beneficial," McCracken said.
"Things created with these gun parts will at least create the opportunity for a conversation that might not have otherwise existed," Owens said. "Then, it's a table, and who knows what happens when everybody gets at that table and starts talking."
He hopes it starts forging peace.
Owens told 13News that the pieces will likely be in a gallery at the Harrison Center for the Arts.