‘TIME’ Enlists Parisian Artist JR for “Guns in America” Issue

  • By Alec Leach in Art
time jr guns
TIME

TIME magazine has enlisted Parisian artist JR to produce a special mural cover for the publication’s special “Guns in America” issue.

Known for his large-scale murals that portray communities and comment on social issues, JR has photographed 245 Americans who are in some way effected by guns, from police officers to school teachers. TIME invited people whose lives have been touched by guns to share their views and describe their experiences, in an effort to find some sort of middle ground in the highly divisive debate.

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325 million people. More than 265 million guns. 35,000 deaths a year. And one 227-year-old constitutional right. To tell this uniquely American story, @time partnered with @jr, the artist and photographer known in part for his murals around the world that portray communities in all their complexity. In three U.S. cities profoundly affected by guns—Dallas, St. Louis and Washington, D.C.—we invited people to share their views and describe their experiences in a search for common ground. In all, @jr filmed and photographed 245 people—hunters and activists, teachers and police officers, parents and children—to create this mural for TIME’s November 5, 2018, cover. Explore the full project by @time and @jr at TIME.com/guns-in-america

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Head over to TIME to discover the “Guns in America” issue in full.

JR has also put his large-scale murals on the U.S.-Mexican border and Paris’s Assemblée Nationale.
Words by Alec Leach
Freelance Writer/Editor/Consultant

Alec Leach grew up in Brighton, England, but now lives in Berlin