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81 Women Law. J. 18 (1994-1995)
First National Clothesline Project Display

handle is hein.journals/wolj81 and id is 74 raw text is: 18 . Women. Lawyers Journal0, Vol. 81, No. 3 (June, 1995) FIRST NATIONAL CLOTHESLINE PROJECT DISPLAY By Sally Lee Foley The Clothesline Project is a public display of thousands of hand-decorated T-shirts that tell the stories of real people's lives and comment on the violence directed against women. Each T-shirt is designed by either a survivor of violence or someone who knew an individual hurt by violence; her story is expressed on a T-shirt, depicting a particular experience. On April 8 and 9, some 250 Clothesline Projects from the United States and abroad were represented in a Washington, D.C. display of over 6,000 shirts hung at the Washington Monument end of the Mail. There are over 35,000 shirts hung in Clothesline Projects nationally. The D.C. display was organized by the National Organization for Women to highlight the violence issue and to support funding for the Violence Against Women Act passed last year as part of the Congressional Crime Bill. Historical Roots of the Project The project was inspired by an artist in a display of thirty- one shirts at a 'Take Back the Night Rally on Cape Cod, Massachusetts in the fall of 1990. Since then, local Clothesline Projects have been organized throughout the United States, Canada, England, Australia, Israel, and in several Latin American countries. of its kind, linking together the different forms of violence, speaking to the quality of life all women live with in this culture. The power of the Clothesline Project lies in its ability to bring viewers face to face with the local and personal side of violence-stories of individual women hang shoulder to shoulder in collective voice of courage, outrage, and healing. * ~ ~ ~ Y 1% - ,. _UII _r1 _ Photo Credit: S. L. Foley A section of the Mall display: visible evidence of violence. Purpose Creating a Shirt The purpose of the project is four-fold: to bear witness to the survivors as well as the victims of violence directed at women; to help with the healing process for people who have lost a loved one or are survivors of this violence; to educate, document, and raise society's awareness of the extent of the problem; and to provide a nationwide network of support, encouragement, and information for other communities starting Clothesline Projects. This Project provides survivors, family, and friends with a safe and powerful means of speaking out about the abuse directed against women and children as their shirt becomes an integral part of the healing process. Similar to the AIDS Quilt, it uses art as a medium for healing and social change, offering an unprecedented means of personal and creative expression for this type of experience. The Clothesline Project also educates the public about the personal impact and prevalence of violence against women. It is the first grassroots movement The Clothesline Project would like each shirt to reflect the woman's personal experience. T-shirt designers may include a name, date or memorabilia such as tools of a trade or symbols of interest. Some suggestions for enduring quality include: use a natural fabric; sew rather than using glue; photocopy photographs onto iron-ons; and use acrylic or textile paint, color-fast dye, or indelible ink. At each Clothesline Project display, shirts and materials are available at a shirtmaker's tent for people who wish to design a T-shirt on the spot. Reflections on a Clothesline The power of the human story told in poems, letters and stories portrayed through creative art is compelling. The vision of thousands of shirts--each symbolic of a person's

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