Searching for a cause to which they could lend their talents, the Providence-based group Women Advocates Networking Together (WANT) recently paid a visit to Sojourner House, a shelter for survivors of abusive relationships. As WANT members quickly noticed, the building had no art on its walls. "Being in the arts community, we thought `That's totally in our demographic,' " says Caroline Brown, one of WANT's founders. So WANT asked local artists to create works on the theme of "Healing Battered Spirits Through the Arts" before donating them to Sojourner House.

Before moving into the shelter, the artworks will be on display in AS220's gallery space, starting with an opening this Friday, July 12 from 6 to 9 p.m. "The show is a way to demonstrate that community artists are willing to give," explains Brown. The works will be permanently installed at Sojourner House, meaning they will never be offered for sale -- something of a sacrifice for a struggling artist. Recognizing that many of the donations would come from artists in tough financial situations, WANT bought art supplies and staged a community creation day at AS220 in late June.

Free artwork can help Sojourner House in a number of ways. Since it lodges about seven women and children on any given night, Sojourner House is always in use as a dwelling place for people who are trying to put their lives back together. With bare walls, though, it feels more like an institution than a place to live. Art could help make the house a home for the residents. "The home environment is a safe environment, so when they feel at home, they'll feel safer," says Brown. Art also has a therapeutic effect. For people dealing with a recent history of abuse, art can be both a form of escape and a means of combating isolation, since it presents someone else's way of seeing the world.

The donated works range from paintings and pillows to collage. One artist shrunk her paintings and put them on the front of five-by-seven journals, each dedicated to shelter residents for their bravery in getting out of unsafe domestic situations. In return, she has asked them to pray for her sister, who is in currently in an abusive relationship. A local ceramics company donated pre-fired stoneware for decoration by artists. The Rhode Island Clothesline Project found out about the show and called to see if it could display their signature installation, a collection of T-shirts made by people affected by domestic violence. "When you have a common goal, it's like wildfire how quickly word goes out and comes back to you," says Brown.

Issue Date: July 12 - 18, 2002