Tag: art exhibit

Ten Los Angeles area survivors were depicted in artwork by community artists and advanced art students at Cal State Dominguez Hills for the premier of the art exhibition. The artists created portraits of the survivors depicting them in a way that shows their strength. The artwork was displayed on April 16th and then shown at various public buildings throughout Los Angeles. Mickey Melton, Director of the Rape Crisis Center at the YWCA, said the “We Step Into the Light Program” has by itself changed the association’s rape crisis strategies from here forward. 

Created as part of the “We Step Into The Light” art exhibit, I had the honor of meeting and mosaicing, Korlah. I brought a list of questions, that I thought might be a good springboard for getting to know her better.  The questions ranged from simply, “what is your favorite color” to questions like, “what brings you peace”.  Not sure how open Korlah would be to sharing these intimate parts of her life, I was blown away by the insightful and inspiring answers she responded with.  Immediately I felt connected with her and knew that my biggest challenge was going to be trying to capture Korlah in just a single piece!  

With much anticipation and the portraits finally complete, all of the models and artist came together for a wonderful evening of empowerment through art. The survivors saw their portraits for the first time.

 “Korlah” is made almost entirely from hand sculpted and hand painted bisque tile. The space around Korlah represents her poetry and rich inner life. It is filled with text and images reflecting her many interests. Mannequins, dancers, and musical notes represent her fashion designing and dancing, while text points not only to her poetry, but also her aspirations to make a positive difference in the world. Her shirt is reminiscent of a traditional African design, paying homage to the pride of her heritage. In the shirt I hand sculpted children’s hands, representing her charity work and desire to help inner city women and children in need. There is a dove of peace over her heart, more dancers, and also shoes, purses, perfume, clothing, and flowers representing her love of femininity and expressions of creativity.

Korlah sees her piece for the first time.