WUNRN

http://www.wunrn.com

THE DOOR Press Release is Attached.

THE DOOR: A Woman's Journey from Domestic Violence Victim to Survivor

Website Link: http://giftfromwithin.org/html/artpage3.html

Contact: Joyce Boaz, Director Gift From Within

Email: JoyceB3955@aol.com

THE DOOR : A Woman’s Journey from Domestic Violence Victim to Survivor

Walk Through the Door, Take a Journey

A Door. A Suitcase.

Picture a woman. She is living in fear. Every breath of every second of every minute of every day, she lives in fear of the person she loves. She is filled with hope; she is filled with despair - a seesaw of emotion that accompanies the bruises, the burns, and the scars to her body...to her heart. One day she finally finds the courage to walk through the door, taking with her only a suitcase filled with years of living. This exhibit is about that journey.

My name is Stacie Dubay and I am a Counseling Supervisor at End Violent Encounters (EVE), Inc. in Lansing, Michigan, USA. I am also a survivor of domestic violence and I created The Door to honor the strength and courage of women who have experienced domestic violence and to encourage others to take action. I want survivors to know they are not alone, and I want people to finally understand the often repeated question of “Why don’t you just leave?”

When this piece is publicly exhibited, people are invited to walk through the door and open the suitcases. Survivors are invited to sign the back of the door. One woman had her picture taken walking through the door and sent it to her best friend as a sign for her to leave her own abusive relationship. A comment book, artist statement, resource materials, and information are available to the public.

This traveling interactive art exhibit has inspired a variety of responses: a law professor taught her class in domestic law around it; a men’s group organized an event to discuss men’s roles in ending violence, a woman was compelled to begin an animal foster care program after she read a statement on the door about a family pet being harmed to control a victim; several eighth grade boys wrote heart warming letters about being positively affected by viewing the door during a class trip ; a domestic violence victim contacted her local domestic violence agency for services after seeing the exhibit at a local coffee shop.

Now The Door exhibit is available online. Gift from Within, an international nonprofit organization providing support to survivors of trauma and victimization has donated time and energy so that detailed pictures can be shared with the thousands of survivors on the internet and their supporters. The link is http://giftfromwithin.org/html/artpage3.html With clickable pictures individuals can look at different sections of the door, creating an interactive experience.

If you would like to link to The Door and/or the Gift From Within website please contact their Executive Director, Joyce Boaz at JoyceB3955@aol.com. If you would like to bring the exhibit to your community please contact Stacie Dubay at

stacdubay@sbcglobal.net

================================================================
To leave the list, send your request by email to: wunrn_listserve-request@lists.wunrn.com. Thank you.