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Thirteen by Gunfire Installation (2024) In 1993, Chris King had just begun teaching art at a small suburban high school in Massachusetts, when one of his students murdered another boy in the history class down the hall. A tragic event that killed an innocent fifteen-year-old boy and sent two other juveniles to prison. It was six years before the Columbine massacre, so there was no fear of school shootings and no training for faculty or staff like there is today. When the Columbine High School massacre happened in 1999 in Littleton, CO, it served as a catalyst for many institutions to instate lockdown training and made active shooter drills the norm on campuses across the country. King chose to create the thirteen-star prints on a custom Bang Bang Press that he designed. The series of thirteen prints represent the number of stars on the American Flag in 1791, the year the Second Amendment was written, while also serving as a reminder of for the thirteen victims, including twelve students and one teacher who died that day at Columbine High School. 
Bang Bang Press (2024) 24" x 50", plywood, steel, chalkboard erasers, black paint, neon spray paint, and black ink on paper. King used wood & felt chalkboard erasers cut in the shape of his personal handgun, as an ink pad that was used to produce this series of thirteen prints for the "Thirteen by Gunfire" Installation. The video (above) played in a continuous loop on a 43" wall monitor, showing the printing process while adding a repetitive "bang" sound echoing through the installation. (below) Detail of the "eraser gun" King created as part of the Bang Bang Press.
Average Class Size (2024) "Over twenty-five years later as I prepare for a new school year, I consider my role as an artist and educator in this era of school violence. Recent discussion among colleagues and the community about bulletproof backpacks and arming faculty are signs of how desperate and paranoid we’ve become, a society defined by violence and terrorism. Teachers are now trained annually to face gunmen and fight, or to hide in their rooms and function in isolation, responsible for the lives of dozens of children. On the weekend, I find myself at the local shooting range for target practice, contemplating a new body of work that explores my personal history working in public schools, considering the great risk and responsibility that our educators inherit when taking care of America’s children." -Chris King 
Average Class Size (2024) PVC pipes, wood, human targets, cardboard, and block printed ink on found school uniforms.
Fragile As Eggshells (2024) 40" x 74" A mixed-media work by King influenced by the training that public educators are required to take annually as they prepare for each school year. The piece is constructed from shattered clay skeet shotgun targets mounted on canvas and painted with neon acrylic and black chalkboard paint. King explains, "I use a wide range of materials, depending on what I'm trying to accomplish with a certain work. Lately I've been using these shattered clay targets as a way to represent the fragility of life and the children I'm expected to protect as a public educator". |
