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Inside the archives of America's school shootings

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About the Project:




For the past 6 years I have been working on a book titled American Origami. The project closely examines the epidemic of mass shootings in American schools, weaving together first person interviews, forensic documents, and original photographs. The book takes the reader through a visual journey of shared grief, to illuminate moments of beauty and bring forward moral questions embedded in acts of collective healing.



I am raising funds to cover the production costs of publishing a high quality artists book, which  will also serve as a launching platform for a lecture series on the same topic.



The book will be published by renowned Dutch imprint Fw:Books, led by the designer Hans Gremmen .  Your support will help fund the production of an edition of 1000+ copies which includes:



Perfect printing and binding in The Netherlands

Lithography - retouching, color separation, on press proofs

Travel to Netherlands - any funds raised above the goal will be used to pay for travel costs to oversee the printing in March.



$75 and over: You will receive a copy of American Origami.



$150 and over: You will receive a copy of American Origami and a signed 8"x6" print.



If you would like me to speak to your community, school, or workplace, please contact me directly.



Thank you for your support.



- Andres



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In the Press:



What Grief Looks Like: Documenting The Mementos Left After School Shootings -  Listen to an interview with Audie Cornish on All Things Considered



American Origami, Reading the Relics of Grief - Portfolio and essay featured in the Virginia Quarterly Review



American Origami, une histoire de la violence -Le Monde Magazine (France)



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Praise for American Origami

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“Though tactically quiet, American Origami is a profoundly dark and moving testament to how gun violence has ravaged the American school experience. It stands alone as perhaps the most intelligent and graceful photographic account of how communities metabolize this almost seasonal horror, and how mass shootings have become a deeply painful part of the American fabric.”



- Paul Reyes, Editor of the Virginia Quarterly Review 


"American Origami presents an unusual and moving reflection on the complexity of a seemingly endless cycle of gun violence in America—a timely publication that is visually striking, poetic, and painful.” 

- Shane Lavalette, Director of Light Work 

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About the Photographer:


Andres Gonzalez is a photographer, editor, and educator who lives in Vallejo, California. He is the recipient of a Light Work Artist Residency, and is a Fulbright Fellow. He is also a contributor to publications such as the New York Times, Smithsonian, the New Yorker, and ESPN. His most recent work, and forthcoming book, American Origami, was shortlisted for the MACK Books First Book Award in 2018, and was supported by a Pulitzer Center Grant. 



About the Publisher

:

"Contemporary photobooks that treat ephemeral, elusive, and subtly unsettling subjects require designers who can work beyond familiar conventions. This extends from obvious design issues such as the sequence of images and the composition of pages into production factors, where the craft tradition of books resides. Amsterdam-based designer Hans Gremmen combines proficiency in these fields with critical inquiry. Books he has designed do not exude the air of authority normally associated with the printed document, but instead convey contingency, ambiguity, and disjuncture. " - Aperture Magazine
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Donations 

  • Kristine Nyborg
    • $75 
    • 5 yrs
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Organizer

Andres Gonzalez
Organizer
Vallejo, CA

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