Philadelphia art show offers moment of peace for people who have lost loved ones to gun violence
In a room where everyone has lost loved ones to gun violence, an art show Tuesday night in Philadelphia offered a rare moment of peace.
Each portrait — bright, bold and deeply personal — captures the spirit of a life taken too soon.
Danielle Shaw-Oglesby's daughter Dominique was a 23-year-old Penn State student when she was murdered on March 18, 2018.
"She was bright, she was happy. She would light up a room. She was about community," Shaw-Oglesby said.
She would have graduated that spring.
"I take it day by day through the grace of God," she said.
As do many of these grieving families, who gathered at Ezekiel Baptist Church, where Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson hosted "Peace in Philly," an art show in honor of Gun Violence Awareness Month.
"In 1998, I lost a cousin to the senseless gun violence in South Philadelphia, and from that point forward, I started teaching young people conflict resolution, anger management and most importantly, anti-street education," Johnson said. "So this is an issue that is very near and dear to me."
The show was curated by Zarinah Lomax, founder of The Apologues.
Lomax began using art therapy to help families process grief after losing her friend Dominique.
"You see the type of emotion that comes when someone sees their loved one," Lomax said. "It can trigger them sometimes to help them to understand where they are on their journey, and then get connected. A lot of people have come to the exhibitions over the year and become family."
Although most say the pain never subsides, studies show art therapy can help reduce PTSD symptoms in trauma survivors.
"I can still keep a piece of her with me," Shaw-Oglesby said. "Because the art is just so beautiful, and it's staying, it stays with me. It's here forever."
