Commentary: When Highland Park students faced another threat of gun violence, this is how they felt
Delayed by COVID-19 and the city’s July Fourth mass shooting, Highland Park High School’s FOCUS on the Arts biennial event almost didn’t happen. But facing a multiyear hiatus, the suburban Chicago school rallied, inviting creatives from across the country to teach workshops, as it’s done since 1964. Organizers asked me to facilitate an interactive public art installation similar to the summer’s temporary Arts Memorial, which was a response to the shooting. The only guardrail: Steer clear of gun violence. Nothing triggering. Nothing orange. All light and love.
We landed on a collaborative project in
