Rape survivors invited to tell their stories in art

The Women’s Center of Jacksonville, the city’s rape crisis center, has invited survivors of sexual violence to share their stories by submitting art for an upcoming exhibit.

Called the “Surviving to Thriving” event, the center holds it every year to celebrate the voices of survivors. Any survivor can submit art of any medium, advocates said.

Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.

“We don’t put any restrictions on the type of art: dance, music, spoken word, sculptures, anything that allows them to express how they’re feeling,” Chantel Scherer told Jacksonville Today. Scherer is the Women’s Center’s development director.

The Women’s Center of Jacksonville is the rape crisis center for Duval, Nassau and Baker counties and provides support for all survivors of sexual violence regardless of gender.

However, because the exhibit is open to the general public, the center recognizes that not all survivors may be ready to take part in it yet. For many survivors who participated in years past, submitting often acted as a sort of final step in their individual journey toward healing, Scherer explained.