By Colton Williams, Junior Editor
As a part of the many projects for Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Kaylei Goodine (C’19) organized a project called “Giving Face to Anonymity” to visually showcase important messages about sexual assault and domestic violence. The project, featuring photos of student taken by Matt Hembree (C’2), is currently on display in the library.
The goal of the project, Goodine said, was for “members of campus, mainly survivors, allies, and bystanders, to be heard no matter how anonymously or publicly they chose to be.”
Students can view the project on the first floor of duPont Library. Organized near the center of the library, pictures displayed on the pillars as well as whiteboards exhibit the central themes of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Hembree’s photos show both male and female students, and are all black and white still images. On the bodies of the subjects are phrases written in red ink that promote awareness about issues of sexual assault and domestic violence. A warning cautions students of potentially triggering images.
“I believe on our campus we need more events to raise awareness, prevent [sexual assault], and educate students on healthy, respectful, and consensual relationships,” Goodine said. “This project can not do it all, it is only one project, but it is a start. A start that listens to anyone that wanted to be heard. The words of those who submitted to the project were extremely powerful and they are the ones who really made it what it was.”
Goodine said she hopes students viewing the artwork can learn to listen and be aware of issues that they may not always here about, and that the whole community needs to be involved in order to change the culture surrounding sexual assault.
“Putting a face to these stories, it humanizes it,” said Goodine. “It reminds us, yes there are people we care about behind each of these stories. It also shows yes, there are people here that will always support you and believe you. I think art makes us feel in a way that we normally wouldn’t, yet each person is affected differently based on their experiences.”