“…You hear those numbers all the time, but you never tie names to them. I wanted you to see who my son was.”

—Pamela Bosley, Co-Founder of Purpose Over Pain, Mother of Terrell Bosley

“Our goal was to communicate the enormity of the epidemic while also honoring the individuals whose lives have been taken.”

—Jha D. Amazi, MASS Design Group

The Gun Violence Memorial Project (2019–present) creates space to gather, remember, and act in light of the ongoing gun violence crisis. A collaboration between Boston-based MASS Design Group and Songha & Company, where artist Hank Willis Thomas is Creative Director, in partnership with the gun violence prevention organization Purpose Over Pain, the project was launched at the 2019 Chicago Architecture Biennale. It comprises four glass houses, each built of 700 clear bricks, a reference to the average number of gun deaths every week in the United States.[1] Many of the bricks hold remembrance objects such as baby shoes, graduation tassels, and photographs offered by families in honor of loved ones whose lives have been taken due to gun violence. These living memorials invite us to view the impact of gun violence through individual personal narratives.

In a citywide collaboration, The Gun Violence Memorial Project will be on view at the ICA, Boston City Hall, and the MASS Design Group gallery in Boston’s South End. Local collecting events organized through Louis D. Brown Peace Institute will take place in summer and fall 2024. Learn more.

[1] This number is based on a 2018 statistic. The average number of gun deaths per week in 2024 is 840. https://www.google.com/url?q=https://everytownresearch.org/report/gun-violence-in-america/&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1706218733359014&usg=AOvVaw2l589qAF8dBGGkoZI3mdEy