Guns into Plowshares

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Guns into Plowshares
Guns into Plowshares.jpg
Guns into Plowshares
Artist
  • Esther Augsburger
  • Michael Augsburger
Year1997 (1997)
TypeSculpture
Medium
Dimensions4.9 m(16 ft)
Weight4 tons
Location Washington, D.C., United States
Coordinates 38°51′12″N76°59′43.9″W / 38.85333°N 76.995528°W / 38.85333; -76.995528

Guns into Plowshares is a sculpture by Mennonite artists Esther Augsburger and Michael Augsburger. It depicts the blade of a giant plow, fashioned out of steel and 3,000 disabled handguns. It stands sixteen feet tall and weighs four tons. The work alludes to a passage from the Book of Isaiah in which the ancient Israelite prophet envisions a future when people "shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Isaiah 2:4; cf. Micah 4:3). The image of transforming swords to plowshares has been widely adopted by social and political groups working for peace.

Contents

The sculpture was conceived in 1994, when the artists heard of a gun buyback program coordinated by the Washington, D.C., police. After three years of work, Guns into Plowshares was completed in 1997 and erected in Judiciary Square. Since October 2017, it has stood on the campus of Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

History

The Augsburgers began work on the sculpture in 1994. [1] Esther was living in Washington, D.C., with her husband Myron Augsburger, a prominent Mennonite pastor, and teaching after-school art classes. She heard her students talking often about family members lost to gun violence, and one of her own students was shot and killed. [2] She and Michael Augsburger, her son, learned of a gun buyback program coordinated by the D.C. police and funded by heavyweight boxing champion Riddick Bowe. [3]

A close-up shot of the handguns incorporated into the sculpture Guns into Plowshares Closeup of Guns into Plowshares.jpg
A close-up shot of the handguns incorporated into the sculpture Guns into Plowshares

The guns were originally slated to be melted down for use in fences, [4] but the Augsburgers convinced the police chief to disable the guns, including semi-automatic TEC-9s and Smith & Wesson revolvers, and allow them to be used in the project. [2]

The sculpture took three years to complete at a cost of $125,000. [5] It was installed on August 20, 1997, in Judiciary Square, outside D.C. police headquarters. [5] [3] After remaining there for over a decade, the sculpture was moved into storage in 2008 during a renovation of the D.C. Historic Courthouse nearby. [5] In January 2011, it was installed near a police evidence management facility in D.C. [6]

On October 10, 2017, after having been returned to storage for some time, the sculpture was refurbished and moved to the campus of Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, [7] where another of Esther's sculptures, Love Essence, also stands. [8] Esther was the first student to graduate from the school with an art degree, [7] and her husband Myron was president of the school between 1965 and 1980. [9]

In February 2025, the sculpture was moved back to D.C., on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Ward 8, where gun violence has long been prevalent. [10]

Religious context

Esther Augsburger regards her artwork as an expression of her Mennonite religious commitments. [11] Yet for most of their history, the Mennonites (a branch of Anabaptist Christianity named for Menno Simons) had no strong tradition of artmaking. The tradition placed a high value on what is considered a "plain" or "simple" form of life, [12] which involved a rejection of decoration or ornament. Many Mennonites also objected to the use of images in worship. [13] What aesthetic tradition they did develop therefore focused on functional household objects like quilts and furniture. [14]

In the latter half of the 20th century, however, a new tradition of distinctively Mennonite art began to emerge. The growth of this tradition was visible in both Mennonite literature and the visual arts. [15] [16] [17] Esther Augsburger belongs to this new tradition. She was the first graduate of the newly formed studio art program at Eastern Mennonite University in 1972, [7] and she went on to produce sculptures recognized both nationally and internationally. [11] Much of her work, like Guns into Plowshares, attests to traditional Mennonite values, especially a commitment to service and nonviolence. [11]

Reception

One early story about the sculpture reported some confusion about its meaning, [2] but its reception by local residents has generally been positive. [6] [18] It has been cited in scholarly discussion about Isaiah 2:4 [19] [20] and in homiletic resources for pastors who are preaching on the passage. [21] In the wake of the February 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, the sculpture became the site of a vigil for those who had died. [22]

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References

  1. ↑ "Myron and Esther Augsburger Timeline". Eastern Mennonite University. Archived from the original on September 18, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Wheeler, Linda (September 13, 1997). "Weapons deliver message of peace". Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 5, 2025. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Kelly, John (September 11, 2017). "'Guns' running: A distinctive sculpture from D.C.'s dark days is on the move again". Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Gun Buy-Back Program Challenges Sculptors". Sculpture. 17 (4): 15. April 1998.
  5. 1 2 3 "Guns into Plowshares, (sculpture)". Smithsonian American Art Museum, Art Inventories Catalog. Archived from the original on October 15, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  6. 1 2 Kelly, John (January 17, 2011). "'Guns Into Plowshares' sculpture can be seen again - if you can find it, that is". Washington Post. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 Jefferson, Lauren (October 13, 2017). "Forging peace: 'Guns Into Plowshares' sculpture dedicated at EMU". Eastern Mennonite University. Archived from the original on October 15, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Love Essence, (sculpture)". Smithsonian American Art Museum, Art Inventories Catalog. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Presidents Emeriti and Founders". Eastern Mennonite University. Archived from the original on October 15, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  10. ↑ Williams, Clarence (February 4, 2025). "Sculpture made of handguns is dedicated as it returns to D.C." The Washington Post . Archived from the original on February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  11. 1 2 3 Morgan, Angela (March 3, 2017). "Art of Sharing: Esther Augsburger Shares Her Faith, Convictions, And Ideas Through Art". Monty. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  12. ↑ Krahn, Cornelius (1959). "Simplicity". In Bender, Harold S.; Smith, C. Henry (eds.). The Mennonite Encyclopedia (vol. 4). Scottdale, PA: Mennonite Publishing House.
  13. ↑ Zijpp, Nanne van der; Kossen, Dirk; Bender, Harold S. "Art (1955)". Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  14. ↑ Yoder, Barbara L. (2002). "Mennonite Household Arts". Art Education. 55 (6): 25–32. doi:10.2307/3193976. JSTOR   3193976.
  15. ↑ Redekop, Magdalene (2020). Making Believe: Questions About Mennonites and Art. Winnipeg, Manitoba: University of Manitoba Press.
  16. ↑ Janzen, Reinhild Kauenhoven (1999). "Door to the Spiritual: The Visual Arts in Anabaptist-Mennonite Worship". Mennonite Quarterly Review. 73 (2): 367–390.
  17. ↑ Habegger, Alfred. "Painting and printmaking". Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  18. ↑ Brenneman, Rachael (April 25, 2019). "Guns into Plowshares". The Weather Vane. Archived from the original on October 15, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  19. ↑ Friesen, Ivan D. (2009). Isaiah. Believers Church Bible Commentary. Scottdale, Pennsylvania: Herald Press. p. 43. ISBN   978-0-8361-9440-1.
  20. ↑ Limburg, James (1997). "Swords to Plowshares: Text and Contexts". In Broyles, Craig C.; Evans, Craig A. (eds.). Writing and Reading the Scrolls of Isaiah, vol. 1. Leiden: Brill. pp. 292–293. doi:10.1163/9789004275942_016. ISBN   9789004275942.
  21. ↑ Beach, Kathy (2019). "Isaiah 2:1-4". Interpretation. 73 (2): 185–187. doi:10.1177/0020964318820596. S2CID   166428156.
  22. ↑ "'Guns Into Plowshares' sculpture is the site of a vigil for Florida shooting victims". Eastern Mennonite University. February 20, 2018. Archived from the original on October 15, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
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