Unveiling was a public, time-based installation for ArtPrize Seven which raised awareness of childhood sexual abuse and offered healing to survivors. As a City Parks Curator grant recipient, Brianna Lynn Hernandez Baurichter worked with local artist Nichole Riley to further develop her text based work of this nature. Riley invited survivors to share their handwritten stories of abuse to be screen printed onto silk with light sensitive dye and hung from steel frames on the historic Blue Bridge in Grand Rapids, MI. The silk was installed intermittently throughout the duration of ArtPrize. Local organizations offering counseling and refuge that helped bring this project to life are listed below.
Artist Statement: Unveiling is a work of art created to heal and inform. It is an opportunity for survivors of childhood sexual abuse to participate in a nineteen-day event that will allow them to shed light on their personal histories. It is in the sharing and telling that survivors will have a collective voice of healing and awareness. They are narrations that are unapologetic, clear and at times brutal. They are not presented to shock or distress. They are intended to shed light on a topic that largely goes unaddressed, shed light on the power of many, and to provide support while remaining anonymous.
www.nicholerileyart.com
Very special thanks to Gypsy Schindler.
Contributing Organizations: Wedgwood Christian Services | Children's Assessment Center | YWCA-West Central Michigan | Grand Valley State University | Arbor Circle | Cherry Health | WGVU Public Media | Pushard Welding | WoodTV8
