about the golden shoes project

 What is the Golden Shoes Project? 
A series of street art installations consisting of shoes painted gold by a community, one pair for each life lost to violence.  Each installation is a visual symbol of the total lives lost throughout  one year in a specific city.

Why gold? 
Gold is one of the oldest and most respected commodities. We use gold to remind us of the ultimate value: human life.
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Why shoes?
Often, it's our shoes that connect us to this Earth. Each pair of soles represents a human soul. 

GOALS

• Create awareness: These days, information overload can generate apathy towards what is happening in our own backyard. The Golden Shoes Project drives home the reality of violence in our communities by illustrating the total loss of life in one year.
• Unite Communities:  Golden Shoes workshops are an opportunity for people from different walks of life to meet, unite and create from; community centers and schools to correctional facilities. Everyone is welcome to be an artist! 
• Honor lives lost: Because most murder cases go unsolved, victim's family members live with a continuous sense of loss. Our mission is to use art to honor lives lost. And to heal. We invite family members to come, donate a pair of shoes and paint them to honor their loved one.  We call these Sacred Shoes.