Gun Show
September 4 – October 14
Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture

An Opening Reception with the Artist will be held on Thursday, September 7, from 5 to 7 p.m.

The Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture presents Gun Show, an exhibition of more than 100 life-size replicas of assault rifles created by artist David Hess from “rescued” objects. The exhibition is curated by Kathy O’Dell, Associate Professor of Visual Arts and Special Assistant to the Dean for Education and Arts partnerships.

David Hess started assembling life-size sculptures of assault rifles from what he calls “rescued” objects — ranging from an old black sneaker and vintage turquoise sewing machine, to a raggedy crutch and pink Barbie bike frame — decades ago, increasing his pace of production following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in 2012. While he has shown some of the works since 2015, Gun Show at UMBC is the first presentation of all 112 sculptures. Hess aims for this project to foster dialogue about one of the most volatile issues of our time – guns, who should or should not own them, whether or not to legislate them, ramifications of their use or misuse, and how issues of race, class, gender identity, and age impact every aspect of these questions.

Artist David Hess harvests contrasting forms and materials to create a collision between the man-made and natural worlds. Hess refers to these artifacts as “rescued objects,” suggesting that these materials are loaded with history and cultural narrative – making them not only worthy of salvage, but of incorporation and preservation. At Dartmouth College, Hess studied with realist wood sculptor Fumio Yoshimura, whose precision and humor had a profound impact. Concentrated studies at Dartmouth in pre-med, engineering, Japanese design and filmmaking continue to inform his current studio practice. From these he draws upon methods of observation, object making and constructing narrative in his creation of commissioned furniture, sculpture, architectural elements and public art projects.

The Maryland affiliate of Young Audiences/Arts for Learning has grown steadily over the past decade, resulting in a $3.5M budget with 22 staff, more than 150 independent contractors and providing more than 10,000 programs to 192,000 students each year.

Young Audiences is seeking a mission-focused, strategic- and process-minded leader that will lead all aspects of two of YA’s largest programs, the Summer Arts and Learning Academies (SALA) and the Bloomberg Arts Internship (BAI) program, as well as other large scale summer programs/partnerships.

Chesapeake Shakespeare seeks a creative, organized, enthusiastic college or graduate student to work with the Development team to execute essential fundraising activities throughout the busy fall season. They will assist with data management, donor and prospect research, creation and execution of mailed appeals, preparation of proposal documentation, special event production, social media support of fundraising campaigns, and provide general administrative assistance.

Baltimore Center Stage is seeking a Database/Helpdesk Coordinator. This position is responsible for coordinating the various departmental aspects of the Tessitura database. The Coordinator is responsible for data entry and the establishment of policies and procedures related to data entry, data management and query/report generation. The Coordinator is responsible to provide first level contact for technical support and convey resolutions to technical issues for the Helpdesk.

FutureMakers is seeking Lead Coaches – youth development experts with experience as a designers, tinkerers, artists, technologists, or makers. FutureMakers coaches use their passions and expertise to design and build original workshops for diverse and varying communities, facilitating innovative, safe and active maker spaces for young people.

Handel Choir of Baltimore is a highly respected 40+-member auditioned community-based oratorio ensemble which presents baroque, classical and early romantic works with period instrument orchestras, as well as modern repertoire and newly commissioned works. Handel Choir has an 82-year history in the Baltimore cultural landscape.

The Marketing Department at Baltimore Center Stage is in search of an individual who is committed to engaging and proactive communications in support of our fast-paced Marketing and Communications team on a part-time basis. The primary focus of the work includes managing Center Stage's social media presence, including a new conversation portal scheduled to launch this fall. Additional tasks will include internal and external communications and editorial and event support.

The Communications Specialist is primarily responsible for managing both programmatic and institutional marketing and promotional efforts, including media and public relations, advertising, and copywriting, as well as overseeing the weekly Humanities Connection radio essay. The Communications Specialist works closely with the Executive Director and the Director of Advancement to manage Maryland Humanities’ messaging strategies at the local, state, and national levels. The Specialist and other members of staff also develop and maintain printed collateral, online platforms for programs, and mdhumanities.org.

A more complete description of all duties is posted on the Maryland Humanities website at www.mdhumanities.org. 

The Grants Specialist is primarily responsible for all elements of the grant-seeking process: researching and cultivating funding prospects and opportunities, preparing LOIs and proposals, and accurately tracking and reporting on grant-supported activities to funders. Annual and long-term fundraising goals will be set in consultation with the Director of Advancement. Specific responsibilities are outlined below. The Grants Specialist works collaboratively with the other members of the Advancement team as well as Program staff members in furthering the financial resources of the organization in order to maximize the potential for growth and impact of Maryland Humanities’ dozen programs.

A more complete description of all duties is posted on the Maryland Humanities website at www.mdhumanities.org.