Artists are vital to the health of our communities. The Artist Employment Program (AEP) was grounded in the belief that when artists employ their creative skills, they can create lasting impact in the communities they serve. 

In Rochester, NY, the Willow Domestic Violence Center collaborated with artist Sarah C. Rutherford to harness artistic interventions as a strategy for collective community healing, focusing on survivors of domestic violence. For over 40 years, the Willow Center has worked to provide survivors in Rochester with access to services to support them along a journey to an empowered life. The Center serves over 8,000 clients a year through support and advocacy services.

Sarah had worked with the Willow Center on a six-story public mural inspired by the stories of domestic violence survivors who had received services from Willow. The mural, entitled “Stories of Strength,” is located in downtown Rochester on the Times Square Building and depicts a cosmic figure in darkness holding a glowing willow tree sapling in a cage in one frame, and a full grown willow tree bathed in light in the next, from which a series of swallow birds break away, flying to freedom. 

With the support of the AEP collaboration, Sarah and Willow expanded the project to raise greater awareness and deepen understanding of survivors’ experiences, working with 30 survivors to record interviews of their stories. The collaboration culminated in an art exhibition, ”What We Hold: A Practice of Remembrance and Release,” hosted at RIT City Art Space in October of 2024. The multisensory exhibit displayed intricately layered drawings of survivors’ hands alongside audio excerpts of them sharing and reflecting upon their journey towards healing. 

“This project would not have been possible without the support of Willow as an agency, especially the counseling staff,” Sarah shared. “This collaboration allowed for meaningful, intentional, Survivor centered conversations to take place in a way I could not have done as an individual artist.”

The artistic collaboration provided a new outlet for survivors to process beyond counseling, expanding opportunities for healing and expression. Special consideration was made to ensure that survivors gave consent at multiple checkpoints while sharing their narratives, with the freedom to share details of their experiences if they chose, or to reflect more broadly on their healing story.

One project participant shared, “It was a positive experience because I felt good knowing that even one person could hear something from my story to help them on their path to healing as well.” “Every time I spoke, every time I gave, it lessened the weight on my shoulders,” shared another survivor in her recording. The exhibition amplified survivors’ voices in Rochester while advocating for the support services Willow provided.

While the exhibition has closed, the collaboration’s work lives on through a robust website featuring 150 videos of stories from the 30 survivors, including full stories and shorter clips based on themes that emerged during the interview process.

“Thirty stories cannot fully represent everyone impacted by domestic violence in Rochester,” said Sarah. “My hope is this is only the beginning. My dream is for this project to grow bigger than Rochester, Willow, and me.”

Photo of “Words of Care” by Sarah C. Rutherford. Photo courtesy of Sarah C. Rutherford.