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The Clothesline Project
Study Guide
Developed by Megan Fink, May 2003
What is the Clothesline Project?
The Clothesline project is a participatory exhibit
and a visual display attempting to break the silence surrounding violence
against women. The exhibit is comprised of t-shirts designed by women
survivors of violence, plus some by their families and friends. They
are hung on a clothesline for viewing. Participants walk through the
rows of clothesline to bear witness to these tragedies. The project
focuses on providing healing for survivors of violence, educating
the public about violence, and preventing violence.
Statistics become individuals. Abstract ideas become real.
The making of a t-shirt can be a very liberating event. It breaks
down the silence and isolation many feel and helps in the transformation
from victim to survivor. This event is held in the spring semester
at SUNY Brockport every year. The Clothesline Project is a two-day
event that will help to educate the community about the violence against
women, men and children. The event is going to have activities that
will include speakers, films, workshops, and t-shirt making. We encourage
you to incorporate the Clothesline project into your classrooms.
Shirts are color-coded for different types of violence
White -
for women who have died of violence;
Yellow or beige
- for women who have been battered or assaulted
Red, pink, or
orange
- for women who have been raped or sexually assaulted
Blue or green
- for women who are survivors of incest or child sexual abuse
Purple or lavender
- for women attacked because of their sexual orientation.
History:
Thanks to a group of women from Cape Cod, Mass., we will never look
at t-shirts the same way again!! These women are the founders of the
Clothesline Project, a small core of women who have found a way to
take the staggering, mind-numbing statistics on violence against women
and turn them into a provocative, in your face, educational and healing
tool.
Inspired by the AIDS quilt, these women came up with the idea of using
shirts hanging on a clothesline. "The concept was simple -- let
each woman tell her own story, in her own unique way, and hang it
out for all to see. It was and is a way of airing society's dirty
laundry."
What you can do:
We have found that the encouragement of professors has greatly increased
attendance. There are many ways you can incorporate the Clothesline
Project into your classrooms, we do not assume to how this will work
best for you. To better serve you, we have come up with a "study
guide" that suggests possible assignments for your students.
General ideas are:
- Attend the Clothesline Project and write a summary on your thoughts
- Have the students search for a peer reviewed article related to violence against women, attend the Clothesline Project, and write a report
- Extra Credit for volunteering.
-
Attend the Clothesline Project and relate that experience to some of the suggested ideas below.
Criminal Justice
· A victim's right
· Case law
· Attending a trial
· Alternative sentencing
· Restorative justice
Nursing
· Patient care
· What is a SAFE nurse?
· Recognizing different kinds of violence
· Alternative Treatments
· Local agencies/resources
Psychology/Counseling
· Experience of silent victims
· Mind/Body Connection
· Transition from victim to survivor
· Breakdown/Isolation
· PTSD
African-American Studies:
· Are women of color represented?
· How can you tell?
· Do you think women of color are treated differently? and
Why?
Theatre:
· After experiencing this, how would it change the way you
would create a character that has been victimized?
· What does this do to your stereotypes?
· Could you perform in this public art? How?
Dance:
· How could you translate this experience into movement?
· Do you feel you could perform a dance and how would you act
it out?
Art:
· Art and Social Issues
· Does art create a voice?
· Public Art
· What is an installation?
· Can words be art?
· Relationship between sound and visual
Communications:
· How can art effect communications?
· How do you bring visibility to an issue?
· How would you cover a public event that deals with private
pain?
· Can a man report on this event?
· Where is the line between covering a story and respecting
privacy?
History/Sociology:
· Primary Sources
· History of Domestic Violence
· Changes in attitudes over time since the Women's Movement?
· Any historical forces?
· How does the Clothesline Project change traditional cultural
values or legal values?
· Women's Public Speaking
· Cultural artifacts as primary sources
English:
· T-Shirts as journals
· Writing as public
· Voice to the Voiceless
· Power of Testimony
· Victims public speaking
· Writing as silent speech
RAPE CRISIS
1-800-527-1757
SUNSET
(Student Unwanted Sexual Experience Team)
395-2640
University Police
395-2226
Women's Center
395-5584
24-Hour Domestic Violence Hotlines
1-800-942-9606 English
1-800-942-6908 Spanish
Alternatives for Battered Women, Inc.
585-232-7353
The Clothesline project promotes Better Campus Community objectives by:
- providing an opportunity for the college community to learn how to break the silence surrounding violence against women
- providing an opportunity to emphasize to the campus community
the fact that we do not have to suffer in silence anymore and there
are services/help available to women being abused, raped, and assaulted.