2007 October Women and Girls in Georgia Conference

The Institute for Women’s Studies at the

University of Georgia

 

SNAPSHOT PRESENTATION:

Art as a vital part of worldwide action and conversations

aimed at making the world safer for women and girls

 

Playwright Patricia Henritze joined Kim Frndak, Community Educator for the Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence (WRC), and activist/survivor Rhiannon Rose in a presentation sharing their experiences with art as part of an equation of action which addresses the realities of domestic violence and its effect on individuals, families, and communities.

SNAPSHOTS

In June 2007, SNAPSHOTS, a new play by Patricia Henritze, was produced at the Academy Theatre by the Women’s Resource Center (Decatur GA) as AmericorpsVISTA intern Emily Rutledge’s legacy project. The play was inspired by Kim Frndak’s short stories entitled THE STORIES based on her experiences as an educator on domestic violence issues. At the end of each performance a talkback was facilitated by Asst. Professor Elizabeth Hackett from the Agnes Scott Women’s Studies department. During these talkbacks audience members were encouraged to speak about the play and their experiences (or lack thereof) with domestic violence. Audience members included a wide range of participants, including Rhiannon Rose whose story was the inspiration for a piece in Snapshots. She spoke openly about having her story told through art and the impact it had on her.

FORMAT

The conference presentation was in five parts:

1)        A short introduction discussing the history of the play, Snapshots.

2)         Kim Frndak spoke of her experiences as Community Educator for the WRC and how she began writing short stories as part of her response to those experiences.

3)         A short film was shown in which survivor Rhiannon Rose, whose personal story was the inspiration for the Snapshots performance monologue Dancing Again, talked about attending the performances and participating in the talkbacks. She discussed the positive impact which the production had on her.

4)         Patricia Henritze performed the monologue, Dancing Again.

5)         A brief talkback was facilitated for those who wished to know more about the process, the WRC or issues of Domestic Violence.

Info on The Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence, SNAPSHOTS, and The Stories was also available.

 

GOALS

Through the presentation we encouraged the use of art as a tool to give voice to women in all circumstances. It is our belief that those who participate in the artistic experience become a part of community driven solutions; solutions that bring hope and healing.

 

Link to The Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence: http://www.wrcdv.org/