Nearly a year in the making, the NWA Center for Sexual Assault (NWACSA) has paired up with local art museums The Momentary and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art for the upcoming community gallery “UNBROKEN: Artistic Triumphs of Survivors.”

Taylor McKinney, the development director at NWACSA, said that the center hopes to use this event to raise awareness of its services to the community at large and help fund its programs.

The theme of the event is focused on the word “unbroken,” with the concept that even though this traumatic event occurred, survivors can still find the light at the end of the darkness, McKinney said.

Both professional and performing artists that are survivors can submit to join the gallery. With most, if not all, performing arts spots already filled, visual artists are highly encouraged to continue applying until September 20.

“We’re just looking for any artist that is also a survivor of sexual assault or domestic violence in the community that wanted to use this event to talk about, to use their art to talk about that experience and specifically healing from that experience,” McKinney said.

The goal of the gallery is to empower and uplift other survivors to come forward and show their story.

“Survivors will always know the right words to explain what it is that they’re feeling. A. because we don’t have the education here in Arkansas surrounding sex ed in general, but B. then not only do we not have the proper language to talk about sex education. But then we compound that with experiencing trauma that alters your brain and makes that to then you’re not functioning so it’s like you really can’t use or access those parts of the brain so art is an avenue to provide healing,” she said.

In addition to attending the event in person at Crystal Bridges’ Great Hall October 17 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., local businesses are welcome to sponsor artwork to help support NWACSA.

The community gallery will include an award ceremony where NWACSA will present The Roger Collins Beacon of Hope Award to Nate Walls Jr.

Survivors are invited to create artwork not only on their own but also through workshops held by the center leading up to the event.

Photo Courtesy of NWACSA on Instagram.

The remaining workshops include painting, pottery, and a guided art therapy class. Registration is still open for survivors to attend the workshops for free.

With these guided art workshops, survivors can hopefully come out the other end as a more healed person despite the pain, McKinney said.

“You don’t have to be a professional artist for your art to matter,” she said.

For more information on this upcoming opportunity, contact Taylor McKinney via email at taylor@nwasexualassualt.org.