Columbine. Sandy Hook. Parkland. Uvalde. The names of these communities are etched in the nation’s collective memory, linked by the uniquely American reality of gun violence in places that should be the safest: schools.
There have been over 420 shootings at primary or secondary schools since the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, according to the Washington Post. Their research found at least 215 children, educators, and others have been killed, while another 486 have been injured. The Post also determined that 390,000 students were exposed to the trauma of gun violence because of their proximity to the events. In schools across the country, active shooter and lockdown drills are commonplace but their efficacy is debated.
Last year, former U.S. Surgeon General, Doctor Vivek Murthy declared gun violence a public health crisis. This is underscored by data from the Center for Disease Control: between 2020 and 2023, firearms were the leading cause of death in children and teens aged 1-17, surpassing motor vehicle accidents and cancer.
The vast majority of gun deaths in America are from suicide, homicide, and community violence, with individuals in communities of color affected disproportionately. Mass shootings account for 1% of all gun deaths, with school shootings occupying a fraction of that. Still, they capture public outrage because school shootings are the most visible and extreme symptom of America’s gun violence epidemic.
The stories of these shootings are often told in the hours, days, and weeks that follow the tragedy. The public learns about the victims and watches as rituals of mourning unfold at the schools, on main streets and squares, and in places of worship across America.
Familiar images repeat themselves on TV screens and news websites: tears, sorrow, vigils, and funerals, with each shooting being eclipsed by the horrors of the next one. Meanwhile, the families are left to mourn, grieve, and embark upon a journey of recovery that lasts a lifetime, one rarely visualized. For members of the media, deadline cycles and grieving patterns do not align; therefore, part of confronting the epidemic of gun violence is to visualize it with humanity, heart, and patience.
“The key ingredient is, you need to be imagining it,” said Kimberly Rubio, whose daughter, Lexi, was among the 19 children and two teachers killed at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas in 2022. “If you can’t picture it, or that it could be your child, then you’re never going to step up, and I just really need people to think about that because I just, I can’t think about all of the moms that are gonna lose their children to this.”
This exhibition seeks to do just that—allow you to picture it.
Compassionate photography by Barbara Davidson, Zackary Canepari, Callaghan O’Hare, and Tamir Kalifa examines the impact that gun violence has on young Americans and their families, from the aftermath of school and community shootings to the now-routine active shooter drills and the expanding school security industry. Much of this documentation required being present with people during the most difficult days of their lives. Those depicted allowed these photographers into their lives to help the public grasp the consequences of gun violence, and the nation’s urgent need to address it, up close.
“Show, don’t tell” is an old storytelling adage. As photographers, the choice of what to show is crucial. Grief is complex and those grieving are not avatars of their suffering, as they are sometimes depicted in the immediate aftermath of these tragedies. With time, they often reveal a remarkable capacity to love, to remember, and to turn despair into action and hope for a safer future.
Artist Bios
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Zackary Canepari
Zackary Canepari is a visual storyteller working in a variety of different mediums. He began his career as a photojournalist in India/Pakistan before teaming with filmmaker Drea Cooper in 2010 and launching the documentary film series “California is a place,” which screened at Sundance. The success of the California series led Canepari to Flint, Michigan to film the documentary feature “T-Rex,” co-directed with Cooper, about teenage Olympic boxer and Flint native Claressa “T-Rex” Shields, which premiered at SXSW, was featured on PBS, and was recently adapted into a feature film titled THE FIRE INSIDE. He is currently finishing a new documentary about Active Shooter Preparedness for HBO titled THOUGHTS & PRAYERS.
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Barbara Davidson
Barbara Davidson has been a staff photographer for The Los Angeles Times since 2007. Prior to LA, she worked at The Dallas Morning News, The Washington Times, and The Record in Ontario, Canada. Davidson remains committed to telling intimate stories. She has documented humanitarian crises brought on by war in Iraq, Afghanistan, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Israel, and Gaza. She documented the Tsunami disaster, Hurricane Katrina, and The China Earthquake. Her news assignments have also brought her to Yemen, Nigeria, and Rwanda.
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Tamir Kalifa
Tamir Kalifa is a photojournalist currently based between Berlin, Germany, and Austin, Texas. He is committed to work focused on human rights and the lasting effects of gun violence as well as stories at the intersection of political and environmental issues. He believes compassionate visual storytelling can raise questions that lead to a better understanding of ourselves and one another. Tamir is a winner of the American Mosaic Journalism Prize and is a frequent contributor to The New York Times, The Washington Post, Texas Monthly and others. He is also a multi-instrumentalist and wrote, recorded, and performed original music as a member of Mother Falcon, an Austin, Texas-based orchestral indie-rock ensemble.
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Callaghan O’Hare
Callaghan O’Hare is a freelance photographer and multimedia journalist based in Houston, Texas. She’s drawn to long-form documentary projects that highlight the complexities of everyday life and humanize major social, political, and economic issues. In 2020, Callaghan spent months documenting the harsh realities of the COVID-19 pandemic, photographing in ICU wards across the country. Her coverage also included the pandemic’s impact on funeral homes, pregnant women, and children who lost parents to the disease. As a regular contributor to The New York Times, Reuters, and The Washington Post, she has photographed the aftermath of gun violence, hurricanes, the fall of Roe v. Wade, and Texas’ maternal mortality crisis.
Organizations
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The Bronx Documentary Center
The Bronx Documentary Center (BDC) is a non-profit gallery and educational space. Through exhibitions, screenings, and public programming, we show the work of internationally-renowned and emerging photographers and filmmakers who are dealing with the themes that guide the BDC: justice, education, community-building, and positive social change. We also provide free education programs for middle and high school students as well as professional education workshops for historically underrepresented adult Bronx-based photographers that provide opportunities for professional development and skills training in photojournalism, filmmaking and documentary photography.
Our free after-school and summer documentary photography programs teach middle and high school students from the Bronx to use photography, writing, and research to explore social justice issues, preparing them for college and future careers. The program includes visits from internationally renowned photographers, field trips to major cultural institutions and media outlets, and opportunities for life-changing national and international travel. BDC Youth Photo League students and their families also participate in extensive college prep programming, which includes one-on-one counseling, financial aid workshops, and college tours. All materials are provided by the BDC.
School Shootings in America
Featuring: Zackary Canepari Barbara Davidson Tamir Kalifa Callaghan O’Hare
Curated by: Cynthia Rivera Michael Kamber
Locations
View Location Details Brooklyn Bridge Park – Emily Warren Roebling Plaza1 Water St
Brooklyn, NY 11201
This location is part of Brooklyn Bridge Park
Explore other locations and exhibitions nearby
The views and opinions expressed in this exhibit are those of the exhibition artists and partners and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Photoville or any other participants and partners of the Photoville Festival.
