Maureen Cain

Lives and works in Arizona

Artist statement

Artist Statement for United States of Ammunition I have photographed sites of gun violence in all 50 US states – this is something no one has ever done. I was inspired to start this work in 2019 when a box of 1000 rounds of ammunition was mistakenly delivered to my address. In the art world, we talk about staying open to inspiration because you never know what you might “stumble upon.” That day I opened the front door and literally tripped over a box of 1000 rifle bullets. My first thought was “Who knew you could order bullets online?” I didn’t even know that was a thing. My second thought was “I need to make art with this.” But probably not best with live ammunition, so I turned the bullets into the sheriff's office and now I go to firing ranges, collect spent bullet casings, paint them and use them in my series of 250 photographs taken across the United States. I have 5000+ painted bullet casings in various sizes and 40 different colors. They have traveled with me and my cameras from border to border and coast to coast. I am an equal opportunity photographer. I take pictures at sites of mass shootings, school shootings, political shootings and historical shootings that make the international news, but most of my photographs are about everyday shootings like police brutality, domestic violence, street fights, hate crimes, accidental shootings, suicides and murder-suicides. Since I started this project in 2019, there have been 300,000 gun deaths in America.

Artwork