Toll the Bell is a city-wide sound installation and commissioned performances bringing greater awareness to the gun violence epidemic affecting our city and the nation.
In the wake of historic surges in gun-related crime, community-based violence prevention initiatives are making a notable impact. Since 2022, Philadelphia has seen a 42% reduction in gun violence victims, yet the crisis persists, and further action is needed. Toll the Bell aims to amplify this critical balance, highlighting the vital progress made and creating space for the hope that fuels continued change.
On National Gun Violence Awareness Day each year, a prolonged period of bell ringing and other sound-making takes place at many locations across the city and beyond. A collaboration with Penn’s Office of the Chaplain, Interfaith Philadelphia and many faith-based organizations and other partners, the sound installation is paired with an interfaith vigil service and a community walk of reflection.
This past year, two Philadelphia-based artists were commissioned to create and perform a work reflecting on this uniquely American tragedy: jazz vocalist/composer Ruth Naomi Floyd and the West Philly community jam band, Omar’s Hat.
Through this sonic device and artistic response, Toll the Bell exemplified how the performing arts serve as a powerful catalyst for addressing society’s issues. On June 6-7, Philadelphians came together to pause and reflect, but Toll the Bell is not a profile of tragedy; it is a resounding call to action — a literal ringing of the bell — urging us to work towards transformative change for the future of our city.
