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"Weapons will become raw materials for artists in a project getting underway in New Orleans.Watch reportLocal artist Jonathan Ferrara is organizing the first \"Guns in the Hands of Artists\" exhibition in New Orleans.City officials and civic leaders gathered Wednesday at the Jonathan Ferrara Gallery to announce the project, which aims to turn guns taken from the city's streets and makes them into works of art.View imagesFerrara told WDSU he wanted to make a difference in the community by getting involved in something that is helpful to ending violence in the community.\u00A0\"What better way than taking weapons and turning them into something artful and fun?\" he said.City leaders said the project is a great idea and they support the initiative 100 percent.Stacy Head, Council At Large, said it is a good way to start dialog about the problems New Orleans has with guns and the number of children who have access to guns.The program included 186 guns that were taken from the gun buy back program.Thirty-one artists will select pieces of the guns and make a unique piece of work that will later be displayed to coincide with Prospect 3 in October and remain on display through January.\u00A0The gun pieces have been dismantled, welded and altered by AFT and the NOPD so that they can never be used as weapons again.Also on hand at the announcement was Deborah Luster, who will be a participating artist.She talked about her experience of losing her mother to gun violence and why she chose to participate in the exhibition.\u00A0 The project has an emotional side to it for her, and others like her.Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news right in your inbox.\u00A0Click here to sign up!"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.wdsu.com/article/artists-aim-to-take-guns-transform-weapons-into-art/3370229>