What We Hold: by Sarah C. Rutherford is a multi-sensory experience that features Survivors’ of domestic violence stories along the path of healing. 

Opening Reception
Friday, October 4, 2024
6-9 PM
Free // All welcome
*During the opening reception, community listening sessions will occur at 6:00, 7:00 and 8:00 pm, approx 15 mins each in duration. 
Interpretation services have been requested.

The culmination of a two-year partnership between artist Sarah C. Rutherford and Willow Domestic Violence Center, this multi-sensory exhibition weaves recordings of Survivors' stories with drawings of Survivors’ hands in an immersive installation exploring themes of disenfranchised grief, witnessing and storytelling as a tool for personal and collective empowerment.

About the artist:

Sarah C. Rutherford is a muralist, educator, and interdisciplinary artist based in Rochester, NY. She has gained recognition both nationally and internationally for her large-scale public murals, which are crafted in close collaboration with the communities and individuals they represent.

Over the past fifteen years, Sarah has co-founded THE YARDS Collaborative Art Space and the Roc Paint Division Youth Employment Program. Both are initiatives aimed at fostering the growth of emerging artists. Her project Her Voice Carries is a public art endeavor that celebrates local women who amplify the voices around them.

After receiving her MFA from the University of New Mexico, Sarah was awarded a Creatives Rebuild New York Employment Grant in partnership with Willow Domestic Violence Center. This enabled Sarah to expand her project Stories of Strength, an initiative that empowers survivors to explore storytelling as a tool for healing. The project's culmination is What We Hold: A Practice of Remembrance and Release, on view at City Art Space October 4-26, 2024.