Guns into Plowshares
Sculpture by Esther and Michael Augsburger / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Guns into Plowshares is a sculpture by Mennonite artists Esther Augsburger and Michael Augsburger. It depicts the blade of a giant plow, fashioned out of steel and 3,000 disabled handguns. It stands sixteen feet tall and weighs four tons. The work alludes to a passage from the Book of Isaiah in which the ancient Israelite prophet envisions a future when people "shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Isaiah 2:4; cf. Micah 4:3). The image of transforming swords to plowshares has been widely adopted by social and political groups working for peace.
Guns into Plowshares | |
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Artist |
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Year | 1997 (1997) |
Type | Sculpture |
Medium |
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Dimensions | 4.9 m (16 ft) |
Weight | 4 tons |
Location | Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States |
Coordinates | 38.4699°N 78.8795°W / 38.4699; -78.8795 |
The sculpture was conceived in 1994, when the artists heard of a gun buyback program coordinated by the Washington, D.C., police. After three years of work, Guns into Plowshares was completed in 1997 and erected in Judiciary Square. Since October 2017, it has stood on the campus of Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.