“MaidenForge” is now public. We presented both the sculpture and film in a nearby Mennonite Church. These are prompt, questions we might ask or that people might ask us.
- What is “Gun Shy?” If you described it to a friend, you’d call it a _________.
- What do you see? …if you stand back at a distance? …if you get close?
- What do you want to touch? Not touch? What are its textures?
- If “Gun Shy” were given to you, what would you do with it?
- Does a piece of art ever change anything?
- Does “GunShy” simply fetishize, idolize, or mystify guns?
- What message will you take away from “GunShy?” Does that match what Irian says the sculpture means?
- Would changing the context of display change “GunShy’s” meaning? For instance, on display at a gun show, might the sculpture be seen as pro-gun?
- Why should rural people care about gun violence? Isn’t that an urban problem? How can rural dwellers engage with this issue?
- Does it matter than the owner of this shotgun was a Mennonite who used it for hunting? Would “GunShy” be more effective if a handgun had been used instead?
- How does the film shape, or change, your experience of “Gun Shy?”
- Were you carried by the story?
- How does the music in the film affect you? Did its rhythms or intensity add to (or detract from) your experience?
- What’s left out of the film?
- What needs more explanation?
- What was your initial impression of “Gun Shy?” Has it changed?
- What alternative title might you give this piece?
- What thoughts, feelings, or memories are triggered by “Gun Shy” (the piece) or “MaidenForge” (the film)?
- Imagine that you wanted to make something to encourage disarming, what might it be? A song? A poem? A quilt? A story? A painting? A sculpture? A piece of music? A tool? Something else? What’s it made of? What would you call it?
- Who else should see the sculpture or the film?
Questions you could ask us:
- Why are the two of you working together?
- How much time and materials were invested by both of you in this project? Was it worth the cost?
- How has this project changed your thinking about the guns?
- How has this project affected your family and friends?
- Since we’re members of a peace tradition, you’re preaching to the choir, right? What should we do from here? How can we help?