December 7, 2023 | ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT | By Sydney McGarr
Colorado College students and faculty joined members of the Colorado Springs community last Friday night to enjoy the First Friday Art Party hosted at the Fine Arts Center. The event is held on the first Friday of each month and offers free admission for students, allowing them a chance to explore the extensive art catalog of the museum and interact with the art community of Colorado Springs.
Among the featured exhibitions for the evening was the opening reception of the newest gallery at the center, titled, “Another Way is Possible.” The gallery is hosted by RAWtools, an organization based in Colorado Springs and Philadelphia dedicated to turning community donated guns into garden tools and works of art. The crowded exhibition featured a gallery lined with tools and art made from guns donated by Colorado Springs community members. Many of the art pieces sent strong messages about gun violence prevention, with many including the names of gun violence victims throughout the country.
Attendees were encouraged to step outside to view a live presentation of metal forging in the courtyard. Community members stood in line for a turn to hammer the scalding metal as blacksmiths demonstrated the process of turning a gun into a tool.
The initiative started 10 years ago, following the Sandy Hook shooting in Connecticut, says RAWtools Founder and Executive Director, Mike Martin. Martin is a former youth pastor who is passionate about encouraging non-violence in his community. His religious background contributed to his founding of the project.
“It’s based in the idea of turning swords into plowshares, which is an Old Testament Hebrew Bible scripture. Doing that in a modern context with guns to garden tools,” Martin said.
He finds that community members choose to give up their guns for a myriad of purposes, including concern for the safety of their children, lack of safe storage options or frustration with hearing about gun violence in the news. Each person who surrenders a gun is offered a free garden tool or piece of jewelry crafted from their weapon.
The organization places a heavy emphasis on the physical work of transforming guns into tools, but the true heart of the project lies in creating a safe space for survivors of gun violence to share their stories and cultivate peace.
Martin explained this focus on individual stories, “Our whole process has been informed by victims and survivors. As we grow it is all kind of keeping them involved. Most of our board is represented by folks who have been directly impacted by gun violence. That’s the catalyst.”
CC students and staff who are interested in getting involved with this project can visit rawtools.org or visit the RAWtools shop near Memorial Park, which offers opportunities to learn to blacksmith or get involved in the organizational side of the project.
First Friday also included a one-night photographic exhibition of projects created by students at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs as well as live music by artist Spur. “Another Way is Possible” will be on exhibition in the Fine Arts Center’s Hybl Gallery through Jan. 2024.