"I AM-Ashland" Unveiling Tuesday April 19th 5:30pm

UPCOMING EVENT TUESDAY April 19th-

The unveiling of the Traci Molloy collaborative art project, titled “I AM, I Will, I’m Afraid – Ashland,” is scheduled for 5:30 pm on April 19 in Ashland University’s Hawkins-Conard Student Center and will be followed by a community forum in the Student Center Auditorium at 6 pm.
The Art Department’s visiting artist Traci Molloy will be leading the forum and the event is free and open to the public.

The "I Am, I Will, I'm Afraid (Ashland)," is a piece Molloy made in collaboration with 20 women from Ashland University who have experienced sexual assault and/or sexual harassment. It is currently on display in Iowa City, Iowa, at PS 1 (Public Space One) in "We Are Survivors," a show featuring works of art by female survivors of sexual assault. The piece is traveling to Portland, Ore., to be part of Chronodrift at the Lumber Room, which will be up concurrent with the SGCI print conference.

This piece could not have been made without the help, tremendous courage and trust of Molloy’s co-collaborators. This is their statement: "To be heard – not just one of us, but all of us. There is power in our voices, in our stories. We are strong, brave women. We’ve gone through difficult experiences, thinking we are alone in our suffering, but this art piece shows that we are not alone. We hope this project inspires other survivors to stay strong and to be empowered."

Molloy has exhibited her work in over 130 different venues, including Taller Boricua (New York City), SPACE (Pittsburgh), Ruby Green Gallery (Nashville), IPCNY (New York City), The Shore Institute of Contemporary Art (Long Branch, New Jersey), Triple Candie (New York City), the Kansas City Artists Coalition, The Contemporary (Atlanta), Artemisia (Chicago), SPACES (Cleveland), and the Columbus Museum of Art (Columbus, Ga). Her artwork has been reviewed in national and regional publications, including Art Papers, Review Magazine, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Reader, and Creative Loafing. She has been interviewed on NPR in Atlanta and eHarlem TV in New York.
Her collaborations have been exhibited in Johannesburg, New York City, Tokyo, Washington D.C., Atlanta and Cleveland, and featured on Good Morning America, WPIX Channel 11 News (New York City), WCVB Channel 5 News (Boston) and CBS Evening News (Atlanta). Molloy has participated in residencies at the Lower Eastside Printshop, the Newark Museum, and the Delaware Center for Contemporary Art.
Molloy’s visit is made possible by the generosity of AU’s Art Department, Coburn Gallery, Ashland Center for Nonviolence, Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology and Student Activities.

In conjunction with the "I Am, I Will, I'm Afraid" event, Ashland also will be bringing the Duke Breaking Out Project to campus. Student-survivors of sexual violence may volunteer to be photographed holding posters with quotations said by their perpetrators, family, friends and/or themselves. Each poster tells a story that illustrates their journey of survivorship, highlighting the particular issues surrounding sexual assault on Ashland University’s campus. Photographs will be taken after the forum held at 6 pm in the Student Center Auditorium with student volunteers taking small groups around campus to be photographed. The images will be shared through the art department’s social media with the intent of raising awareness and facilitating healing for students.

Those wanting more information can contact the Coburn Gallery at: 419.289.5652/coburngallery@ashland.edu