Lomax, CEO of The Apologues, is currently at City Hall until Mid-October. The exhibit reminds us of the suffering and healing of thousands of gun violence survivors in Philadelphia and the victims we mourn. Thirty Philadelphia area artists collaborated to share the co-victim and survivor perspectives through stories and visual arts such as paintings and wearable art. The artists and survivors worked together to build a representation of who their loved ones were in life through life-like recreations or abstract images to invoke feelings about trauma and healing.
Married with three boys, artist Barbara Evans enjoys helping others find joy and peace. A Philadelphia native who has been painting since 2008 and goes by «thatjawnfwm» on Instagram, Barbara has three sons of her own. She invited her sons to work side by side with her to create two beautiful paintings in memory of victims of gun violence. They discussed the experience, who the victims were, and how they died. They tapped into survivors’ heart lines and their loved one’s memory as a family to create two beautiful paintings.
«I heard about the event and got in touch w Zarinah,» said Barbara. «We created two colorful pieces, One for Alejandro Rojas Garcia, son of Aleida Garcia, and one for Keven Canty, Jr. son of Sonya Jones. Alex was murdered on January 24, 2015, and Kevin was killed on July 8, 2021. I used the image of a spiral to represent the feelings the survivors might feel after suffering the aftermath of traumatic death. The two pieces started off looking very similar. Both were colorful at the beginning, but the words on the painting for Kevin smeared a little, even though I had treated both canvases, so they won’t smudge. The piece looked like someone had been crying on it and had gotten it wet.» The effect spoke to Barbara and the survivors for whom the paintings were intended.
These paintings, grief, and healing brought together two mothers from different parts of the tri-state area.
The event was very emotional, commented Sonya (Mother of Kevin). “It’s us killing us! It is so hard, but I am trying to heal. I remember when my great-grandmother died. It was terrible, but this is different. I don’t wish this on anyone. I want to fight! I am working on a play about what Mother’s Day means after your child dies. What now?”.
The «We Are Here» art exhibit does what art does best; express the emotions of the times. The city is under fire, and at the same time, many continue to rally for peace, hope, and healing. City Hall, seat of government in Philadelphia, is fit a platform for the arts to respond to critical issues affecting all Philadelphians. Ms. Lomax hopes to take her exhibit on the road after October 2022.
