The Gainesville Commission on the Status of Women is reviving its annual Survivor’s Art Exhibit after five years.
Survivors of interpersonal violence will be showcasing their artwork to the public at 7 p.m. Friday. The free exhibit will run until May 23 at the Hippodrome State Theatre, located at 25 SE Second Place.
There are going to be at least 15 artists, a guest speaker and two poets this year, said subcommittee co-chair Whitney Shadowens.
Shadowens had only been working with GCOSW for 18 months when they chose her to orchestrate the event with co-chair Sarah Kate Wilder.
“Hopefully next year, if we do this again, which I think it will be set to do again, I’m hoping to have more people involved,” Shadowens said.
She said getting the artists to participate was the easy part.
“The hard part is the making sure everyone is able to get there, making sure when we get all of the art up and display it; to just make sure, on the day of, things go well,” Shadowens said.
Despite the stress, she said she’s sure the event will benefit the community. A lot of the times, survivors have to defend themselves after suffering interpersonal violence, she said.
Shadowens expects the event to create awareness and allow a safe space. She said she hopes the event will lead more survivors to find a home with GCOSW.
Jamie Funderburk, who was a co-founder of the GCOSW Survivor’s Art Exhibit in the late 1990s, agrees.
She said that when a trauma survivor feels ready, sharing their story through artistic expression can give voice to the unspeakable and facilitate healing.
Funderburk said she’s excited to see this year’s exhibit is at the Hippodrome Gallery.
“The Survivors Art Exhibit breaks the silence about the reality and severity of interpersonal violence and offers a strong community of support for survivors to facilitate healing,” Funderburk wrote in an email.
[A version of this story ran on page 9 on 5/14/15]
