Sexual Assault Awareness Month activities at UMaine
As part of Sexual Assault Awareness month, the University of Maine will host two outdoor events — The Clothesline Project April 22–25 and Denim Day April 24, both to be held in the area between Fogler Library and Memorial Union.
The free public events are in addition to the “Against My Will UMaine” exhibit on the Mall through April 25.
The Clothesline Project features shirts with unique, handmade designs — words and art — that depict survivors’ stories of violence and their struggles to overcome abuse. The first Clothesline Project occurred in Hyannis, Massachusetts in 1990 with 31 shirts. Today, an estimated 500 installations containing more than 50,000 shirts occur annually worldwide.
The project is recognized globally as an educational tool that shines a light on violence against women and facilitates healing for survivors. For the UMaine event, volunteers from Partners for Peace and Rape Response Services, both with offices in Bangor, will be on hand to answer questions and talk about the Clothesline Project from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. each day.
Denim Day is an educational event marking a 1999 Italian Supreme Court decision that overturned a defendant’s rape conviction based on his testimony that his victim’s jeans were too tight to remove without assistance. Wearing jeans on April 24 serves as a visual reminder that there is no excuse for violence against women.
UMaine Denim Day activities from 11 a.m.–1 p.m., include making buttons and sharing free educational materials.
“Against My Will UMaine,” a collaboration with artist and educator Traci Molloy, features the de-identified images and stories of members of the university community who are survivors of sexual harassment, assault and violence. Molloy first visited UMaine in October 2018 with an exhibit featuring survivors who work or are enrolled at Alfred University in New York.
UMaine’s Clothesline Project is presented by Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and the Division of Student Life, in collaboration with Partners for Peace and Rape Response Services. Denim Day is offered by Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Rape Response Services. “Against My Will UMaine” is presented with support from the Cultural Affairs/Distinguished Lecture Series Fund, and with a grant from the Alton ’38 and Adelaide Hamm Campus Activity Fund.
For more information, contact Laurie Cartier, 207.581.1228; umaine.wgs@maine.edu.