Upcoming project to help raise awareness

Georgia College & State University will soon feature an exhibit that shows that real life lessons can be learned through art.

The Clothesline Project is “a visual display of shirts with graphic messages and illustrations that have been designed by female survivors of violence, by their friends or families.”

Jennifer Lindenberger is the student coordinator for The Clothesline Project. She said the project will also include shirts made to honor women who have been killed as a result of violence.

Lindenberger said the purpose of the project is “to increase awareness of the impact of violence against women, to celebrate a woman’s strength to survive and to provide another avenue for her to courageously break the silence.”

The project was started in Massachusetts in 1990 by a small group of women as an idea similar to the AIDS quilt.

“They saw [the AIDS quilt] and they saw how much a visual display makes an impact on people,” Lindenberger said.

Jenna Graham is another student who heard about the project and felt inspired to participate.

Graham said the group from Massachusetts thought The Clothesline Project would be a fitting tribute to female victims of violence since the life of women in past generations often centered around doing the laundry and housework. The project serves as a memory of what the old expectations of women in the home were.

Flyers, emails and signs have been posted encouraging people to donate plain shirts with no writing. Shirts will be made in Grassman Studio behind Blackbridge Hall March 24 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and April 4 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. They will also be made in Chappell Hall, Room 111 March 27 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and April 1 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Shirt-making is free and open to everyone.

“We’re hoping to display the shirts the week of April 6 through the 12 because of National Crimes’ Victims Rights Week,” Lindenberger said.

People who would like to help can donate plain color shirts with no writing, extra fabric, arts and crafts, paints, paint brushes, sequins or any other type of crafty materials.

Lindenberger said more than anything, they need the donation of peoples’ time.

“When the project actually goes up, the whole time it’s up people need to be there who can share information with people who are viewing the project,” Lindenberger said.

Shirts from Emory will hopefully be displayed in the front entrances of buildings, and the GC&SU project will hopefully be displayed on front campus as well as other area locations.

Lindenberger and Graham both feel strongly about the importance of this project.

“I think it’s important that people know that [violence] really does happen to people,” Graham said.

Lindenberger said the thing that bothered her the most about the violence that goes on is that in talking to some of the victims she felt lucky that she had never had to experience it.

“It’s kind of sad when you feel lucky that you’ve never been hit when you’re in a relationship or when you’re supposed to be in a relationship with someone who loves you very much.”

Lindenberger said that thought prompted her to believe that there must be some way she could help stop or decrease the violence that goes on.

“We’re hoping to keep this going for as long as we’re here and then after that as well,” Lindenberger said.

She said she hopes to have shirt-makings once a month and to have displays twice a year.

This project is made possible by the English Department and the Women’s Studies Department at GC&SU.

Donations are being accepted in the GIVE Center. For more information, contact Jennifer Lindenberger at Jennifer_lindenberger@bobcat.gcsu.edu.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Mar 21 2003. Filed under Other. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry