What Was Carried

What Was Carried brings together 14 artists who have experienced sexual abuse and have made work that reflects their story, healing, or the truths they wish the world better understood. 

Brandi Andersen, sponsor of the exhibit, speaks to the intention of What Was Carried and what she hopes viewers will take away from the stories presented:

"This exhibition brings together artists who have survived sexual abuse and are sharing their stories through creative expression. These pieces are not explanations, arguments, or claims of victory. They are simply small acts of truth. Together they create space for honesty, dignity, and the slow work of healing. Trauma tends to create fragmented narratives, and therapists talk about how memory and meaning get shattered and scattered. Art quietly does the opposite. It lets a survivor assemble pieces of experience into form. Not necessarily pretty or complete, but coherent enough to be shared with others. It can't "fix" trauma, but it can give survivors authorship, and possibly demystify and make more tangible the experience for others to understand."

What Was Carried provides an opportunity for audiences to experience the powerful ways visual art can create empathy while inviting us to sit in the complexity of sexual abuse survivors' experiences. The work in this exhibit is wide-ranging in both material and approach to subject matter. From sculptures and paintings to mixed-media works, some pieces feel like a cathartic release of traumatic events, while others quietly invite viewers to reflect on the many ways healing can look. 

Included in this exhibit are: Anna Wehrle, Aren Chynoweth, Axel Sylvester, Barb Knuckles, Brandon Jennings, Irene Wilde, Jaylynn Johnson, Katrina Shafor, Kelsie Longway-Vince, Lindsay Mack, Lynette Whitesell, Reyna Sunshine, Shelle Wright, and Tobi Adetimehin.