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WHAT IS THE
CLOTHESLINE? |
| The Clothesline Project
is a display that bears witness to violence against women. During
the public display, a clothesline is hung with shirts decorated to
represent a particular woman or child’s experience with violence. |
| The original
international project started with 31 shirts hung in Hyannis,
Massachusetts in October 1990. Since that time, over 250 projects
have begun in communities around the globe with almost 30,000 shirts
on display. |
| North Dakota had its
first Clothesline Project display on February 28 and March 1, 1995
in the Great Hall of the Capitol Building during the legislative
session. There were 114 shirts at that time. |
|
WHY A
CLOTHESLINE? |
| According to the Men’s
Anti-Rape Center in Washington DC, 58,000 soldiers died in the
Vietnam War. During that same period of time, 51,000 women were
killed by men who supposedly loved them. That statistic became the
catalyst for the Cape Cod Women’s Agenda to consciously develop a
program that would educate, break the silence and bear witness to
one issue, violence against women. |
| This small core group
of lesbian and straight women, many of whom had experienced some
form of personal violence, wanted to find a unique way to take
staggering, mind-numbing statistics and turn them into provocative,
“in-your-face” educational and healing tool. |
| After a few months of
discussion, one of the women, a visual artist who had been moved by
the power of the AIDS quilt, came up with the concept of using
shirts – hanging on a clothesline – as the vehicle for raising
awareness around the issue of violence against women. The idea of
using a clothesline was a natural. Doing the laundry has always
been considered women’s work, and in the days of close-knit
neighborhoods, women often exchanged information over backyard
fences while hanging their clothes out to dry. The concept was
simple – let each woman tell her own story, in her own unique way,
and hang it out for all to see. It was and is a way of airing
society’s dirty laundry. |
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WHAT IS THE
PURPOSE OF THE CLOTHESLINE? |
 |
To bear witness to
the survivors as well as the victims of violence against women. |
|
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To help with the
healing process for people who have lost a loved one or are
survivors of this violence. |
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To educate,
document, and raise society’s awareness of the extent of the problem
of violence against women. |
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CONTRIBUTING A SHIRT |
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We would like each shirt to reflect the
woman or child’s personal experience. You may include a name,
date, and memorabilia such as tools of a trade or symbols of
interest. |
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Some suggestions for enduring
durability: |
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Use a natural fabric |
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Sew rather than using glue |
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Photocopy photographs onto iron-ons |
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Use acrylic or textile paint, color-fast
dyes or indelible ink |
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We ask women to send shirts, blouses or
t-shirts of durable material preferably with the following color
code: |
|
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WHITE for women who
have died because of violence |
|
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YELLOW or BEIGE for
women who have been battered or assaulted |
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PINK or ORANGE for
women who have been raped or sexually assaulted |
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BLUE or GREEN for women survivors of
incest or child sexual abuse |
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PURPLE or LAVENDER
for women attacked because of their sexual orientation |
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RED for children
who have witnessed or been the target of violence in their homes |
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Naming the
perpetrator is an important part of the healing process. But, for
legal reasons, we cannot display shirts with full names of the
perpetrators. We ask that shirt makers use first names or initials
if they wish to name their violator. |
|
To participate,
make a donation, request further information, or book the
Clothesline Project, contact: |
|
ND Council on Abused Women’s Services
418 East Rosser Avenue #320
Bismarck, ND 58501
Call
(701) or (888) 255-6240 or [Email] |
