CASTLETON, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont artist and activist Tracy Molloy has created art seen across the country.
Her newest installation, “Against My Will,” is now on display on the Vermont State University Castleton campus, created with the help of sexual assault survivors from the community.
“Putting this project in the center of campus, you’re able to see stories that maybe aren’t told and discussed,” Molloy said. “When students are walking by and they see just the portraits, they’re seeing images of people with their features omitted or partially omitted. And that’s sort of the impact of trauma on peoples’ bodies. They don’t feel like they’re the same, they’re no longer the person they once were.”
The banners across campus explore themes of sexual violence, harassment, and assault and are meant to spark conversation. “This is intense, this is heavy, this is here. This happens everywhere. This isn’t just a Vermont statistic, this is a statistic around the country,” Molloy said.
Linda Olson with the Castleton University Center for Social Justice and Trauma Informed Care, says these kinds of conversations should be happening across all college campuses. “We want them to see that this is an issue that impacts everyone, whether you are a survivor or not. We also want them to see that there’s support on campus for people who’ve been through comparable things, and we just really want them to encourage support for survivors,” she said.
As part of the project, Molloy also held a forum with trauma experts and people sharing their stories of survival. “The president of the university has allocated some money for this program, so we’re happy and optimistic that the university will be able to give more resources and more support to help survivors on campus and to aid in conversations around consent and sexual violence,” she said.
The exhibit is on display until May 31. There will also be a panel discussion on April 16 from 12:30 to 1:45 in the Casella Fine Arts Center at VTSU Castleton.