Gunz of Steel
Gunz of Steel is a collaborative performance art event that brings community together to celebrate female identifying and non-binary strength through arm wrestling. Our events raise money for Baltimore City charities that focus on female and LGBTQ needs, but most of our efforts lie in community engagement. Gunz of Steel events are always held in a public venue in Baltimore City and since 2017, our audiences have grown by about 500%, mostly by word of mouth.
Gunz of Steel was conceived by artists Erin Stellmon and Amanda Dice. Stellmon is a former competitive arm wrestler who designs the sets, recruits participants, officiates the competition and trains the arm wrestlers. We encourage anyone to participate that is female or non-binary identifying regardless of size, strength or experience. Competitors have ranged in age from 22-63 and most have never competed in a strength competition. After Stellmon trains them one on one, contenders have an increased confidence in their strength supported by the cheers of the fellow contenders and attendees during the event. Dice is a performer and collaborator who worked with Baltimore based Fluid Movement for 15 years, writing, promoting and producing large scale community performances in Baltimore public pools.