Souls Shot Portrait Project

In Philadelphia, gun violence has long been a problem. Even though 2024 showed a 37% decrease in homicides and a 36% decrease in shootings, every single incident of gun violence causes trauma for individuals, families, and communities. 

The Souls Shot Portrait Project, an organizations that aims to deal with that trauma, matches families and friends of victims of gun violence with artists. The artists then paint a portrait of the victim with the help of the family and friends. The mission is to bring attention to the gun violence crisis as well as to memorialize the lives lost. 

On Friday, November 1, 2024, the Philadelphia chapter’s Volume 8 of the Souls Shot Portrait Project opened at the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill. Family and friends of victims along with the general public attended. The portraits remained on view until November 24. From December 2-20, the exhibition was at the Cheltenham Center for the Arts. Now, it is on view at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Glenside, PA. 

To hear from family members of the victims and artists, watch the video. 

Hopefully efforts by organizations like Souls Shot Portrait Project and the Philadelphia Police Department can continue this downward trend in gun violence.