UNC Asheville

April 7th - April 8th 2017

The Gun Show team was invited to the University of North Carolina Asheville's "Arts Fest 2017: Arts for Social Change." While North Carolina is a permissive open carry state - meaning that individuals are allowed to own and carry a gun without a permit or license - such weapons are not allowed to be carried onto UNCA campus by anyone other than law enforcement personnel. Shown on the Reynold's Green, UNCA provided a safe, open environment for students, townspeople and children to delve into intimate, nuanced discussions about their opinions on and experiences with guns. Conversations, such as those with a military widow, an avid bird watcher, a group of friends who were planning on going to an outdoor shooting range later that day, and young children who were habituated to being around guns, presented a wide variety of perspectives.

The Gun Show was accompanied by an Artist Talk in the Humanities Lecture Hall on April 7th, 2017 and a temporary photography exhibition of portraits on the Second Floor Gallery in Owen Hall. The exhibition runs through April 7th - 25th, 2017.