Children are not Bulletproof
Children are not Bulletproof, 2000
Two pins (suitable for wearing this political message) and three wall mount elements constructed primarily from recycled tin containers (pre-existing scratches and marks may be present); brass, 14k. gold-filled wire, vintage plastic, red satin ribbon.
Artist: Harriete Estel Berman
Children are not Bulletproof was inspired by the appalling news that in conflict after conflict, in every corner of the earth, children are the innocent victims of political, ethnic and religious struggles.
Even in the United States, children fall victim to gun violence. Children are the innocent victims of urban wars caused by gangs and criminals. Video games with shooting and guns and paintball battles as entertainment reduce the respect and concern that children would normally feel towards guns and armed warfare. We have not established a safe zone either physically or mentally for children. We have forgotten that children are not bulletproof.
Installation Dimensions: 64.25” height installed (Ribbon length rests on the floor) x 4” width x 2.25” depth
Two pins and three wall mounts sold as one unit. Pieces may not be sold separately.
Availability: This wall piece, including its pins, is available for purchase or exhibition.
Children are not Bulletproof
Alluring from a distance.
Red ribbon cascades down, falling to the floor.
Radiating lines; walk closer.
Letters become words.
“Children are not Bulletproof”
Step back, turn away. How can flowing, red blood be beautiful?
We cannot step back from the issues of gun violence.
We cannot turn around and forget that innocent children are killed by guns Every day.
Their blood falls to the floor.
Children are not Bulletproof is a piece of artwork about gun violence that is more relevant now than when it was made over 20 years ago.
Guns are now the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the U.S.
“In 2020, gun violence overtook car accidents to become the No. 1 cause of death for U.S. children and adolescents.” (Koko Nakajima/NPR reports using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the New England Journal of Medicine.)
Researchers from the University of Michigan looked at firearm-related deaths between 2019 and 2020. They found that firearm-related deaths increased 13.5% overall. But among children and adolescents? Firearm-related deaths increased a staggering 30%.
Source: New England Journal of Medicine, “Current Causes of Death in Children and Adolescents in the United States”, N Engl J Med 2022
© Harriete Estel Berman, 2022