'What We Hold' Exhibition Reception
"What We Hold" by Sarah C. Rutherford is an interactive experience that features stories of survivors of domestic violence along the path of healing. The exhibition is on view Oct. 4-26 at RIT City Art Space.
Opening Reception
6-9 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 4
Free // all welcome
A free First Friday bus shuttle is available transport the RIT community from campus to RIT City Art Space and back the evening of the reception.
A culmination of a two-year partnership between artist Sarah C. Rutherford and Willow Domestic Violence Center, this multi-sensory exhibition weaves audio recordings of survivor testimonies of healing, layered drawings of survivors’ hands, and immersive installation delving into 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, N.Y. 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 15 years, Rutherford 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, Rutherford was awarded a Creatives Rebuild New York Employment Grant in partnership with Willow Domestic Violence Center. This enabled her 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 RIT City Art Space Oct. 4-26.
Event Snapshot
When and Where
Who
Open to the Public
Interpreter Requested?
Yes