BEATING HEARTS: Stories of Domestic
Violence is a photographic
project inspired by true stories of domestic violence.
The series of twelve posters, each 22” x 28”,
is based on stories and artwork from the original Beating
Hearts exhibit, which features large and small photo
constructions (some of them 3-dimensional) with accompanying
text.
The exhibit is the work of Kate Sartor Hilburn and
Terrie Queen Autrey of Louisiana. Sartor Hilburn, an
artist/photographer, and Autrey, a writer and activist,
teamed up to create a body of work that retells in visual
and verbal terms the actual stories and experiences of
women they have known and talked with through their work
in domestic abuse prevention.
In some of the pieces their intent is simply to provide
information and answers to questions, such as "Why
Do Women Stay?". In other pieces, they have created
a portrait of a victim and the abuse she has suffered.
The testimonies cover different ages, genders, ethnic
and economic backgrounds.
Although most of the stories were gathered from women
in Louisiana, they convey many of the universal struggles
experienced by scores of battered women all over the
world.
