About this Exhibition

Many survivors are not able to talk about domestic and sexual abuse and the profound effect it has had on their lives. Through art, survivors find a safe way to explore their feelings and share their voices. The goal of this exhibit is to give participants the opportunity to safely express their feelings of survival and to help others understand how it feels to “walk in their shoes” as they share the stories of their journey to healing.

Through decorating shoes, creating sand paintings, and exploring where their feet have traveled by collaging their own footprints, survivors were able to explore their own journeys through creative expression. Participants were encouraged to use this creative opportunity to delve into their past to share their personal stories of pain and triumph and to reflect on the wishes, hopes and dreams they have for the future. Often left untold and unseen, these stories share the pain, courage and strength that survivors discovered in themselves as they escaped from domestic violence.

A Window Between Worlds hopes that by telling the stories of the many journeys of survival we will break the silence and help end the violence in our families and communities. We hope that each piece of art will help community members gain a greater understanding of how violence affects survivors and encourage them to consider their own role in working together to create a violence-free future.