Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

33° Evanston, IL
Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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Collages, programs raise awareness in Week Without Violence

The Open Studio Project presented collages created by the Evanston Shelter for Battered Women to mark the keystone event of the YWCA Evanston/North Shore’s fourth annual Week Without Violence.

Wednesday’s unveiling by the YWCA, 1215 Church St., of the collage exhibit and other activities planned for this week are part of a nationwide initiative to educate community members about the pervasiveness of violence and peaceful alternatives to conflict, according to planning committee co-chairwoman Katiti Crawford.

At the exhibit, which runs until the end of the month, collages with accompanying captions are mounted on walls and displayed in a binder. They are made of magazine cutouts, pieces of cloth, and construction paper, but they all express a common theme: a yearning for change.

“It has to be better,” one reads. “I must go up. When is my turn for good luck?”

Christie Dailey, YWCA executive director, said the pieces serve more than an aesthetic purpose.

“The real creative expression of these women is survival,” Dailey said. “They are making art every day just by waking up. This is a testimony to the strength and resilience of those women.”

That, according to Crawford, is why the YWCA began — and must continue — presenting the Week Without Violence campaign.

“We’ve noticed that there’s a desire to be involved and learn about violence in people’s lives, but there’s still a need to educate people about all aspects of violence,” she said.

Wednesday night’s audience consisted primarily of YWCA staff members, and Tuesday’s event, a discussion on teen dating violence, was cancelled because of low attendance, but Crawford said she was unfazed. She noted that attendance has doubled since last year’s programming.

This year also is the first to feature a full week of activities. Today at 6 p.m. the YWCA is presenting a workshop titled “Facing Violence Against Men.”

On Friday, Sherialyn Byrdsong, recipient of the YWCAs of Metropolitan Chicago’s Anti-Racism Award, will speak about eliminating racism to Evanston Township High School students and teachers. Byrdsong’s husband, former Northwestern basketball coach Ricky Byrdsong, was murdered in 1999 by a white supremacist. The YWCA will offer free swimming Saturday for people who sign a nonviolence pledge in a program titled “Replacing Violence With Fun.”

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Collages, programs raise awareness in Week Without Violence