Art is everywhere in Providence – which isn’t surprising given that our city is home to The Rhode Island School of Design, one of the nation’s preeminent art institutes.
You’ll find an exceptionally impactful sculpture standing just outside the Federal Courthouse. The 12 foot “Gun Totem”, by artist Boris Bally, is constructed of steel, concrete, and more than 1,000 used handguns that were surrendered as part of a gun buy-back program.
The entombed guns may have come from a buy-back in Pittsburgh, but the sculpture’s irreverence and social commentary is pure Providence.
Want to learn more? Atlas Obscura has a great feature about The Gun Totem .