Art for Domestic Violence Awareness Month

The Red Carpet Project is a collection of artistic works that records the loving memories and kind words said about women felled by Intimate Partner Violence and hones in on the loss felt by the community—the loss of mothers, daughters, sisters and friends—rather than the stories of the men who took them away. To give attention to someone honors them. We receive significantly more reportage about abusers than we do victims.

It is the artists’ hope that the gallery show will spark conversation about the damaging effects of misogyny and domestic violence on society, as well as garner attention for the often-neglected narrative of the women who have perished. Initial search results for the women's names in the exhibit led to reportage of abusers’ trials and details of their crimes rather information about the women themselves. The Red Carpet Project aims to shift public attention back to the victims by creating awareness for the magnitude of this loss and its impact on all our lives.

This artistic collaboration features numerous paintings, a 50’ x 3’ canvas of victims’ names, and staged readings of ‘In Shelter’—a play about the aftermath of intimate partner violence, with post-show discussions being led by representatives of PCADV, PAAR, University of Pittsburgh and Chatham University’s departments of Gender and Women’s Studies.

The exhibit opened at G1/CW Gallery on Oct. 2 and will continue October 9-12.