Art Exhibitions

Gaslighting: manipulate (someone) by psychological means into questioning their own sanity. Webster’sDictionary

April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, and I am making cakes – ASSAULT CAKES. Sweet and pretty but inedible confections of ink, glue, paper, and thread, they are embroidered collages with a subversive purpose.

Taking a page from feminist artists/activists of the 1970s, I am pairing Cakes and Assault with traditional embroidery to bring awareness to our national epidemic of sexual assault. 

“Every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted, and every 9 minutes that victim is a child. 9 out of 10 victims of rape are women.” (RAINN – Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)

If the #MeToo movement is any indication – most women will experience sexual harassment and/or assault —  more than once — during their lifetimes.

I am also pairing embroidery, Cakes, and Assault to play with YOUR reality. If you are confused about what cakes have to do with assaults, consider the mind scrambling confusion (gaslighting) an assault victim experiences. Vulnerable, frightened, and shaken by violence, victims are often BLAMED, unseen, unheard, not validated, and not supported. Telling about sexual assault and seeking justice can result in a victim losing a job, career, income, friends, and family members. Up against this community-wide version of gaslighting, victims begin to doubt their own sanity.

My Assault Cakes also have some useful guidance for you “baked” in. Each of the 5 cakes offers a different simple lifesaving set words you can use to support sexual assault victims:

I believe you.

It’s not your fault.

You are not crazy.

You are not alone.

I am sorry this happened to you.

Your words and voice CAN make a difference, learn more at http://www.nsvrc.org/saam https://www.rainn.org/about-rainn

(I’ve thrown in a “Fuck the Patriarchy” cake for good measure. The “patriarchy” is not men. It’s a system both men and women perpetuate, often unconsciously. It’s a rotten destructive system and that stunts the humanity of us all.)

SEE THE CAKES HERE

You can view the Cakes in person at the Fiber Arts Collective in Ashland, Oregon. Open Wed. – Sat., 10 am – 3 pm at  37 N. 3 d Street.

#SAAM #SAAM2022 #SAAPM2022 #assaultcakes #gaslighting #summerlewisdesigns #subversivestitching #sexualassault #sexualharrassment #Ibelieveyou #notyourfault #youarenotcrazy #youarenotalone #Iamsorrythishappenedtoyou