Memorial Installation for US Victims of Gun Violence

Memorial Dedicated to US Victims of Gun Violence
On view 10am-8:30pm at Rothko Chapel Plaza (3900 Yupon Street)

The Rothko Chapel will host a temporary memorial installation dedicated to the victims of gun violence in the US in 2023, created by artist Sandeigh Kennedy. Over 600 pairs of shoes will represent the over 600 mass shootings between January 1 and December 31, 2023. The FBI defines a "mass shooting" as any incident in which at least four people are shot or killed with a gun, and the 2023 statistics are gathered from the Gun Violence Archive. Gun violence is a leading cause of premature death in the U.S., and guns kill more than 38,000 people and cause nearly 85,000 injuries each year. The Chapel invites Houstonians to visit the memorial to pay their respects, to learn more about the public health impacts of gun violence and to delve into our collective responsibilities to address this critical epidemic.

Artist statement
“This installation will consist of over 600 pairs of shoes. They're meant to represent the 600+ mass shootings that have occurred in the United States in 2023 (and counting). Each pair of shoes will have a marker denoting the location, date, number of injuries and number of lives lost at each event. I wanted to create this installation to process my own grief surrounding these tragedies and felt called to share it with my community and beyond. I chose shoes because they're so personal - they remind us of our own humanity. This installation is intended to be an invitation to overcome how desensitized we've become to these types of tragedies. My hope is to start a conversation and help navigate a path forward.”

About the artist
Sandeigh Kennedy is an artist, designer, and musician based in New Braunfels, TX. In August 2019, Kennedy first mounted a memorial installation dedicated to the victims of gun violence featuring 258 pairs of shoes to represent 258 shootings in 8 months in the US. The installation took place in downtown New Braunfels in partnership with River City Advocacy and Moms Demand Action as a way to humanize the statistics around gun violence.