TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama will display wooden hearts decorated by sexual assault victims in the Ferguson Center Art Gallery until April 18. The Wounded Heart Exhibit is the first in a series of projects the Women’s Resource Center will embark on to recognize April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Made from wood donated by Home Depot and carved by the students of Shelton State Community College, the hearts are decorated by the women to help alleviate their pain.
The hearts are also displayed to raise awareness about sexual assault and to help the women who have already been victims of the crime. The exhibit has proven so successful that one Texas therapist requires sex offenders to visit the Wounded Heart Exhibit in Austin.
The Wounded Heart Exhibit was first introduced by the nonprofit organization Arte Sana to encourage victims to express their emotions by painting a wooden heart. The organization is known for helping sexually abused women by “healing (their) hearts through the arts.”
The exhibit is fee and open to the public.
Contact
Katina Bryant or Linda Hill, Office of Media Relations, 205/348-8325, lhill@ur.ua.edu
Source
Erin Bloxham, 205/348-5040