Past Highlights
See The Soul Box Project in Many Communities
Since 2018, communities from Portland, OR to Cape Cod, MA have been using Soul Boxes to provide a dramatic visual of the gunfire epidemic. Are you ready to say Enough? Raise awareness. Prompt action in your city.
Many exhibits and events include Soul Boxes made on site. To help communities present additional visual impact, the Portland-made panels and collected Boxes are available to travel wherever they are needed.
Learn more about hosting an exhibit or hosting an event. See what’s happening soon.
Pawtucket, RI | September 2022 – July 2023
Windows on Pawtucket
Moms Demand Action, Rhode Island
Harvest Kitchen Cafe, 2 Bayley St.
The 362 locally made Soul Boxes on view represent two years of gunfire deaths and injuries in the state of Rhode Island. Windows on Pawtucket is a juried, city-wide exhibition including work by about 40 artists, and a collaboration between the Art League Rhode Island and Pawtucket Foundation. Read about it in The Rhode Island Wave.
Monroe, MI | May 15 – July 9
This Loss We Carry—Michigan and Ohio
IHM Sisters
IHM Motherhouse Gallery, 610 W. Elm Avenue
Approximately 2,940 Soul Boxes represent and honor the number of men, women and children shot in Michigan and Ohio in 5 ½ months.
Tucson, AZ | May 1 – 20
Soul Box Display at Office of City Councilman, Steve Kozachik
Moms Demand Action
In advance of Wear Orange events in June, Soul Boxes were displayed in Tucson’s Ward 6 office. Flyers explain the project prepared by the Arizona Moms Demand Action chapter. In Arizona, 98 men, women and children killed with a gun every month. Watch an interview on KGUN9 ABC.
Clinton, MD | April 22
End Gun Violence Walk
Everything 4 Walter
Costco Park
This event honored Walter Thomas and other victims who lost their lives to gun violence. Soul Box “backpacks” illustrated the number of U.S. gunfire deaths every day and attendees ties remembrances to a large crochet panel.
Boulder, CO | March 19
Service in Memory of Gunfire Victims
First Congregational United Church of Christ
Beginning in January, multi-generational members of the church created hundreds of Soul Boxes to represent more than 7 days of lives lost to gunfire in the U.S. These Soul Boxes and a panel dedicated to the 10 lives lost at the King Soopers shooting in Boulder on March 22, 2021, were displayed during this beautiful service [8:17].
Philadelphia, PA | February 18
Still Marching for Our Lives: Youth Gun Violence Prevention Summit
March for Our Lives / The CHARLES Foundation
Philadelphia Masjid
Students involved with The CHARLES Foundation and March for Our Lives made Soul Boxes as part of a Youth Summit involving several groups discussing gun violence prevention.
Lexington, KY | February 16
Rally to Protest House Bill 153
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense
Moms gathered at the Kentucky House immediately before a scheduled vote in protest of the proposal to make Kentucky a “Second Amendment Sanctuary.” A display of locally made Soul Boxes showed the number of lives lost to gun violence in the state in one year.
Tucson, AZ | February 4
National Gun Violence Survivors Week: Soul Box-Folding Session
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense
Southside Presbyterian Church
The Arizona chapter of Moms Demand Action led a workshop to make Soul Boxes. The focus of this Survivors Week was sharing survivors’ stories; and in particular, those who are underrepresented in the national dialogue. The centerpiece of the week is highlighting Moments that Survive, Everytown’s digital story-telling site to share and read survivor stories. Soul Boxes also provide an opportunity to preserve a small part of someone’s story.
Pacifica, CA | January 28
Response to Recent Tragedy on our Coast at Half-Moon Bay
Art Guild of Pacifica
Sanchez Art Center
About 30 people came together and folded over 70 Soul Boxes in recognition of the tragic loss of life in their region. This event was rapidly planned by the Art Guild of Pacifica with the Sanchez Art Center and held within the week following the shooting in Half Moon Bay to show compassion, community, and unity with their neighbors. Afterwards, visitors to the Art Center could see the tabletop display.
Phoenix, AZ | January 24
Advocacy Day at the State Capitol
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America
Relatives of gunfire victims and Moms Demand Action volunteers and founder Shannon Watts gathered to address legislative representatives and experience the healing and ARTivist impact of Soul Boxes.
Philadelphia, PA | January 16
MLK Day of Service
Girard College
Students involved with The CHARLES Foundation and March for Our Lives helped attendees make 100 Soul Boxes as part of the MLK Day of Service. Girard College was the signature project site, in partnership with Global Citizen, for the 28th Annual Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service. The focus of the 2023 Day of Service was Gun Violence Prevention.
December 14, 2022
Washington Vigil to End Gun Violence
St. Dunstan’s Church / Moms Demand Action
Shoreline, WA
On the 10-year mark of the Sandy Hook School shooting, we remember the victims, survivors, their families and communities. In partnership, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church, Alliance for Gun Responsibility, Brady Campaign, Soul Box Project, Washington CeaseFire and Grandmothers Against Gun Violence united to host a candlelight vigil in loving remembrance for all those who have fallen victim to the ongoing epidemic of gun violence in America. Watch the event on St. Dunstan’s YouTube channel.
November 12 – 30, 2022
This Loss We Carry
The Madeleine Parish and School
Portland, OR
The Madeleine Parish and School displayed over 7,000 Soul Boxes. Fr. Mike Biewend, Pastor, commented, “This powerful display comes to our community during…the month the Catholic Church sets aside to remember our dead brothers and sisters. This event is even more solemn [because] so many of these gun-related deaths were preventable.”
September 12 – December 9, 2022
Art and Activism: A Congregational Approach
Columbia Theological Seminary
Atlanta, GA
This exhibition focuses on the evolution of one congregation’s focus on peace and justice in relation to gun violence. It features the 12 Soul Box Project panels created by the North Decatur Presbyterian Church throughout 2020 to honor Georgians killed by gunfire each month of that year.
September 2022 – July 2023
Windows on Pawtucket
Moms Demand Action
Pawtucket, RI
362 Soul Boxes made by the Rhode Island chapter of Moms Demand Action are on view in the Harvest Kitchen Cafe. They represent two years of Rhode Island gunfire deaths and injuries.
July – August 19
This Loss We Carry
Salem Public Library
Salem, OR
An exhibition of over 1,800 Soul Boxes in the newly renovated Salem Public Library shows the number of people injured or killed in Oregon since January 2021. Visitors may make and add Soul Boxes to the exhibition. Senior Librarian Sonja Somerville describes the visitor experience [1:38].
July 7 – 27
This Loss We Carry
Overland Building
Portland, OR
Over 40,000 Soul Boxes in the historic Overland Building (Old Town/Chinatown) count and honor the number gunfire injuries and deaths (including suicide) to date in 2022. A portion of the exhibition is visible through large warehouse windows 24/7.
June 11
March for Our Lives
Portland, OR
Soul Box Project “backpacks,” originally created for Portland’s 2018 MFOL rally following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, add an important visual showing the scale of the gunfire epidemic. Each clear backpack displays 100 Soul Boxes to singly represent daily deaths from gunfire.
June 3 & 4 – Wear Orange
Moms Demand Action
Frankfort, KY
Louisville, KY
Soul Boxes made in Frankfort were brought to the Louisville Peace Walk and Survivor Remembrance for attendees to dedicate to loved ones who were shot and killed.
June 4 – Wear Orange
Moms Demand Action
Portland, OR
June 4 – Wear Orange
Moms Demand Action
Athens, GA
June 4 – Wear Orange
SWAG Foundation
Lynchburg, VA
June 3 – Wear Orange
Washington Mystics Women’s Basketball
Washington, D.C.
The Washington Mystics teamed up with The Soul Box Project to give basketball fans a way to honor lives lost at a special Wear Orange game. Soul Boxes were displayed on the concourse at the game, where fans could also make Soul Boxes to add to the art display.
May 26
Augustana Lutheran Church
Portland, OR
Press Conference by Lift Every Voice Oregon and partners supporting gun safety initiatives for Oregon voters. In the wake of the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX, on May 24, the backdrop of 490 Soul Boxes represents the number of children under the age of 12 shot in the U.S. from January 1 to May 26, 2022. The significance of the backdrop is explained in this clip [1:22].
May 1
St. Luke Lutheran Church
Portland, OR
This congregation contributed about 1,000 Soul Boxes toward our D.C. exhibition of 200,000 Soul Boxes in 2021. These thirty panels were on view for the week following the ELCA’s “Rachel’s Day.”
April 20
#Enough Plays to End Gun Violence
Third Rail Repertory Theatre
Portland, OR
Connect 2 Be the Change with South Bend Civic Theatre
South Bend, IN
Orlando Repertory Theatre with University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL
Youth-written plays are presented in a ground-breaking series of over 60 readings staged simultaneously in 31 states nationwide on the 23-year remembrance of the shootings at Columbine. The South Bend and Portland readings are enhanced by Soul Box displays. In Portland, panels serving as the stage backdrop present 588 Soul Boxes representing the number of gunfire deaths and injuries in the U.S. in just 3 days. South Bend residents made 130 Soul Boxes to show the number of gunfire deaths in their city since January 2017. Florida students made Soul Boxes to display at the Orlando performance. Watch streaming performances of Third Rail‘s and Roundabout Theatre Youth Ensemble’s (NYC) readings.
January 24 – March 11
Daura Museum of Art, University of Lynchburg
Lynchburg, VA
Twelve Soul Box panels curve along a 24-foot stretch of wall by the University’s theatre. Among the 1,176 Soul Boxes–representing six months of Virginia deaths and injuries–are remembrances for victims of the 2019 Virginia Beach shooting.
January 13 – 30
Gloria
Profile Theatre
Portland, OR
In this 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist, Act One closes with a shocking climax. Soul Box panels are revealed on the walls of the lobby corridor just before audiences emerge for intermission. The 1,764 Soul Boxes represent about one week of gunfire deaths and injuries in the U.S. Additionally, any one panel of 98 Soul Boxes shows the exact number of individuals shot and killed by an employee at their own workplace in the past two years (as recorded by GunFireArchive.org).
November
Fort Collins High School, Fort Collins, CO
Students made Soul Boxes together and created a display for their school.
October 27
Remember: A Vigil Honoring the Dead
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Atlanta, GA
A service for victims of gun violence, including four of the Soul Box panels made by North Decatur Presbyterian Church as a backdrop to performers and speakers.
October 21
Gun Violence Prevention Mayoral Candidate Forum
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Atlanta, GA
Five of the 12 panels representing 2020 gunfire victims, made by North Decatur Presbyterian Church, served as backdrops for each of the Atlanta mayoral candidates. Soul Boxes are acknowledged at the end of this 90-minute forum on gun violence prevention.
October 16-17
This Loss We Carry
National Mall, Washington, D.C.
The complete collection of nearly 200,000 Soul Boxes representing the number of U.S. gunfire deaths and injuries in three years.
September 16-October 3
This Loss We Carry
ArtPrize, Grand Rapids, MI
In our midwest preview of This Loss We Carry at ArtPrize, the 50-foot long display of 8,800 Soul Boxes represented the number of Michigan injuries and deaths (including suicides) in just three years. ArtPrize is an open, independently organized international art competition that takes place for 18 days in the fall in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Watch the news clip on Wood-TV8.
July 6-21
aRt Cottage Gallery, Concord, CA
An 800-Soul-Box installation designed by the local Moms Demand Action chapter.
June 26
This Loss We Carry
Multnomah Art Center (outdoors), Portland, OR
This preview of the larger exhibit scheduled for Washington, D.C., featured 70,000 Soul Boxes hung on panels and carried in procession.
June
State House, Providence RI
For Wear Orange, Rhode Island Moms Demand Action made and displayed 362 Soul Boxes representing two years of RI gunfire deaths and injuries.
June 1 – July 2
Paterson City Hall, Paterson, NJ
A display of 100 Soul Boxes was a collaboration between members of the Paterson Healing Collective (a hospital-based violence interruption program) and the Bergen & Passaic NJ-Moms Demand Action volunteers.
June
Flashlight Books, Walnut Creek, CA
A pop-up exhibit of 300 Soul Boxes accompanied a display of books on social justice themes.
May 7 – June 24
PROCESS: The Healing Power of Art
Nickel Plate Arts Gallery, Noblesville, IN
Over 300 Soul Boxes were part of this exhibit featuring processes and creations that helped artists work through difficult times or make connections with others. Soul Boxes were made through Moms Demand Action, Indiana chapter.
April 2
Maryland State House, outdoors, Annapolis, MD
Exhibit of DIY panels with 724 locally-made Soul Boxes organized by Moms Demand Action
February 17
North Decatur Presbyterian Church
Decatur/Atlanta, GA
Exhibit of 12 Soul Box Project panels represented the lives lost in Georgia from January to December 2020.
February 5 – April 8
Giving Light: An Art Antidote to Gun Violence
BronxArtSpace
Bronx, NY
Soul Boxes were included as a hands-on activity for visitors and local high school art students, among work by various artists.
January
The Pump House Regional Arts Center
LaCrosse, WI
Soul Boxes were made and collected on-site from November and exhibited in the Arts Center gallery in January.
November 5
Kingston First Parish Church (parking lot), Kingston, MA
Kingston First Parish Church, Moms Demand Action (MA/South Shore) and Grandmothers Against Gun Violence
Soul Boxes were laid out on pavement to form the word “LIVES.”
March – June
Trista Holz Studios, Fond du Lac, WI
Students of Art and Art Therapy and their professor with members of girls’ sports teams, Marian University
Students began folding 650 Soul Boxes in September 2019. The gallery installation became a shop window exhibit when COVID descended.
July 27
Christmas Hill Park, Gilroy, CA
Moms Demand Action, San Jose chapter
An outdoor exhibit of 1,000 Soul Boxes commemorated the one-year anniversary of the lives lost at the 2019 Gilroy Garlic Festival.
June 6
Wear Orange Weekend (virtual event), Indianapolis, IN
Moms Demand Action, Indiana chapter
April
First Baptist Church of Denver, Denver, CO
A small exhibition of 9 panels and hundreds of Soul Boxes remained installed through much of the year. The larger exhibit throughout the church was never completed and the April event at the State Capitol building was cancelled due to COVID.
December
Jeron X. Grayson Center, Pittsburgh, PA
CeaseFirePA, Squirrel Hill Stands Against Gun Violence, and Moms Demand Action
Soul Boxes were hung in this community center named for a victim of gun violence. A ceremony remembered many recent victims of gunfire.
October
Behind the Bullet documentary, Portland, OR
A screening of the film by Heidi Yewman at the Multnomah Arts Center acknowledged supporters of the Soul Box Project. Talk by Leslie Lee and board members, followed by Q & A and procession through Multnomah Village.
September
HatchLab, Portland, OR
Exhibit of Soul Box panels and strands in a workspace hub.
August 2 – 30
City Hall, Milwaukie, OR
This exhibit of 3,500 origami boxes represented the approximate number of people killed by gunfire every month in the U.S.
August 1 – 9
School of Visual Concepts, Seattle, WA
Soul Boxes were exhibited in the school and augmented by a public Box-folding event at the South Lake Union Block Party.
August 1 – 4
Gun Sense University, Washington, D.C.
Everytown for Gun Safety
The Soul Box Project was a conference participant and presenter.
June 2019 – 2021
First Baptist Church of Denver, Denver, CO
A small exhibition of 9 panels and hundreds of Soul Boxes remained installed through much of the year. The larger exhibit throughout the church was never completed and the April 2020 event at the State Capitol building was cancelled due to COVID.
June, July & August
First Friday series, Milwaukie, OR
Milwaukie Arts Committee
Box-folding activities were available at the three summer “First Friday” events.
June 17-21
Portland Institute for Loss & Transition Summer Institute in Grief Therapy, Artful Grief Studio, Portland, OR
The Soul Box Project was a conference participant/presenter.
May
Nevada National Alliance on Mental Illness, Reno, NV
The Soul Box Project was a conference participant/presenter.
April 5 – 30
Multnomah Arts Center Gallery, Portland, OR
15,000 Soul Boxes were exhibited in the Multnomah Arts Center.
March 23
City Hall, Burien, WA
Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, University of WA, and Highline Schools Foundation
The Soul Box Project exhibited during a Safe Firearm Storage Giveaway event.
February 15
Oregon State Capitol Lobby, Salem, OR
A procession brought 36,000 Soul Boxes through the Rotunda and deposited them inside a structure in the State Capitol Lobby. These Boxes (in bags) represented the number of people killed in the U.S. in 2018.
January 13 – February 12
Cerimon House, Portland, OR
The Gallery of Souls exhibit displayed 3,000 Soul Boxes at the community center, which was open to the public to fold Boxes in order to reach the 36,000 goal for the State Capitol procession.
August 18
Multnomah Days, Portland, OR
The Soul Box Project had a presence and participated in a march.
June 2-3
Wear Orange, Portland, OR
Moms Demand Action, Portland chapter
Soul-Box folding activities and information distribution
March 24
March for Our Lives, Portland, OR
Procession with Soul Box Project backpacks
February
First Congregational United Church of Christ, Portland, OR
Soul Boxes were exhibited in the church.
I felt energy right away when I walked into this room! Thank you so much for bringing so much life and caring into this issue. Gun violence and school shootings are tearing our society apart. Awareness will help to bring about the change that we need to happen.
Guestbook note, Multnomah Arts Center, Portland, OR