An art installation of 1,406 individually made origami Soul Boxes - each honoring a life lost to gun violence - will be displayed at Lebanon Lutheran Church, 1101 South Mears Avenue, Whitehall, Michigan, from May 2-14.
The Soul Box Project is the work of hundreds of area community members. It was launched last year by Gun Violence Prevention Teams of St. John’s Episcopal Church and the United Methodist Church of the Dunes, both in Grand Haven. The 1,406 Soul Boxes made by these teams represent the average annual number of deaths due to gun violence in the state of Michigan. The project, part of a national effort, seeks to educate communities on the impacts of gun violence.
All are invited to view the Soul Box display at no cost at Lebanon Lutheran Church. The church will be open 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. – noon Sundays, 1-4 p.m. Saturday, May 9 and 4-7 p.m. Monday May 11. Gun safety information will be available at the installation site.
Those desiring to fold a soul box for later display may attend a folding event Monday, May 4 from 12-3 p.m. at the White Lake Senior Center on Ferry Street in Montague; Monday, May 4 from 4-7 p.m. at White Lake Community Library on White Lake Drive; Tuesday, May 12 from 2-4:30 p.m. at the Montague Branch of Muskegon Area District Library; and Thursday May 14 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Arts Council of White Lake-Nuveen Center, in Whitehall.
For more information contact Mary Koenen, marykoenen4@gmail.com.
