“Women’s Woven Voices” by Brecia Kralovic-Logan

May 9, 2018

The question was: Would you please stand up if you have been affected by sexual abuse or domestic violence? As I stood up and saw 3 out of 4 of the 300 women in the conference room were standing, I knew that the message of my artwork was clearly about to take on a new direction. My current project, Women’s Woven Voices, was conceived to promote the empowerment of women through writing, weaving, and sharing their stories.

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The mission of the project is:

1. To create a woven tapestry based on the stories of 1,000 women globally to shine a light on the creative accomplishments of women, while calling attention to the challenges women currently face world-wide.
2. To foster a culture of self-knowledge and sharing that builds courage and fosters a sense of power in women everywhere to contribute to their communities in positive ways.
3. To allow women to tell the story of their lives using art as a catalyst for change, particularly by opening up discussions about issues of domestic violence and sexual abuse in a safe and supportive way.
4. To promote resilience, compassion, open communication, healing, and peace in individuals and communities.

I am a firm believer that women and art are two very powerful forces.This project invites women from around the globe to reflect on what has made them the woman they are today, write about their life experiences, weave a colorful story cloth, and then share their story with others. I am stitching the story cloths together into a collective tapestry, and adding a red fringe to the bottom to 3 out of 4 of the strips to promote awareness of the challenges women face globally including domestic violence and sexual abuse. This stunning visual art will add another energetic dimension to the awareness created by the #MeToo movement.

When the project is finished the tapestry will include 400 panels, 1000 story cloths, and be over 170 feet long. The first panel of 25 story cloths is completed and has been exhibited at an International Women’s Festival. It was interesting to see how attracted people were to the tapestry and how willing the were to engage in open discussion about how to address creating a culture of mutual respect.

You can participate by going to Women’s Woven Voices. The site is full of information, video tutorials, downloadable writing prompts, and online story submission forms. Kits for the weaving are available for free with a minimal shipping fee. I am looking for women who would like to share the project with their groups, gather their tribe, and add their collective voices to this powerful tapestry.

Upcoming exhibitions (though not confirmed) include San Diego in summer 2018, as well as March and April 2019 for Women’s History Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month. More information will provided on the SDA Blog once confirmed. We are also currently working towards exhibiting and presenting at the United Nations for the Commission on the Status of Women Conference.