See the Triumph
Healing Arts Workshops
At See the Triumph, our main goals are to end the stigma surrounding intimate partner violence and other forms of abuse and develop resources for survivors. The Healing Arts Workshops described in this Facilitator Guide are powerful tools for addressing both of these goals.
First, art can be a meaningful way for survivors to process their past experiences. Past experiences of trauma can be very difficult to verbalize, and art offers a way to reflect upon those experiences through the nonverbal process of creating art. In addition, the group-based format of the workshops offers survivors a potentially valuable source of social support by connecting them with other people who have faced similar experiences.
Second, the Healing Arts Workshops may lead to a public exhibit of the art developed by participants. This exhibit offers a way for the voices and stories of survivors to be heard in a powerful way. Survivors of past abuse have powerful stories to tell, but it should always be the choice of survivors as to whether, when, and how to tell those stories. For many survivors, publicly sharing their stories may bring safety risks if their perpetrator is still a threat. Therefore, art may be exhibited anonymously, and survivors should always have the freedom to choose whether any art they create will be included in a public exhibit.
In developing this curriculum, we’ve aimed to present a flexible structure that can be modified to meet the unique needs of different agencies and types of groups. As such, the Workshops could be held as a stand-alone program, or they could be integrated into an existing support group program. In addition, the program can be implemented in the full four-session format, or each art activity could be delivered as a one-time activity. Likewise, the public art exhibit following the Workshops is optional. Overall, we encourage you to consider the unique needs of your community and organization to determine the most suitable way to deliver the Workshops and possible Exhibit in your community.