By Kristyn Schiavone

The Daily Northwestern

“My goal is to get through the day without feeling sad or worthless,” a caption says under one of the pieces displayed in the Open Studio Project’s latest exhibit.

“I would rather be safe in a shelter than afraid to go to sleep at night,” another reads.

The 8-by-11 inch collages lining the walls of the gallery are not professional, and they are not being sold to collectors. But to the artists – women who have survived abuse and domestic violence – they are priceless.

“These women need a way to express what they’re going through,” said Loretta Line, director of advocacy and outreach at the YWCA Evanston/North Shore. “With art, it’s easier for them to say what’s in their heart.”

The exhibit, entitled “Our Side of the American Dream,” opened Wednesday night at the Open Studio Project, 901 Sherman Ave. For the past five years, the studio has worked with the YWCA, which funds a women’s shelter and various other outreach programs related to homelessness, abuse and domestic violence. This showing at the Open Studio Project is a collection of artwork created by survivors in the past two to three years.

Line said in addition to providing an emotional outlet for the women at the shelter, the exhibit also supports a larger effort by the YWCA to combat violence in homes. This week, from Oct. 19-25, is “Week Without Violence,” and workers at the YWCA are adamant about increasing awareness.

“The statistic that keeps pounding me in the head is that twice as many women are murdered by their husbands and boyfriends than by strangers,” Line said. “This is terrorism in homes, and it needs to stop.”

On opening night, the gallery drew a crowd of about 50 people to fill its main showing area – exactly the kind of audience Line said she had hoped for. She also asked visitors to sign pledge cards to promise to be violence-free as a way to “honor the women on the wall.”

“I want people to have the ability to acknowledge that it’s a community issue,” Line said. “Let’s not be afraid to speak about it.”

Dayna Block, executive director of the Open Studio Project, said the gallery often does workshops with the women at the shelter, and the pieces displayed tell their personal stories. To Block, this is a profound way to address the issue.

“You can read a lot of statistics, but the impact of seeing artwork is far greater,” she said.

The opening brought several new visitors to the gallery, including 42-year-old Carol Jungman and her two young children. Although Jungman lives right down the street from the Open Studio Project, this exhibit brought her to its doors for the first time.

“It’s very, very moving,” Jungman said. “I think they do awesome work.”

Reach Kristyn Schiavone at [email protected].