How Illawarra women can use art to heal from gendered violence

The project is an extension of a 2020 partnership between the Illawarra Women's Health Centre (IWHC) and Mercury photographer Sylvia Liber, which involved an exhibition of portraits of domestic violence survivors to campaign for the Women's Trauma Recovery Centre.

This time around, the IWHC is partnering with not only Sylvia but also author Helena Fox and art therapist Sally Conwell to deliver the 12-week project, which is due to begin in August.

IWHC project specialist Emma Rodrigues said it was imperative to focus on the importance of recovery and healing, given one in three women in Australia had experienced physical violence and one in five sexual violence since the age of 15.

She said such violence could lead to complex and long-term health problems.

"The importance around this is acknowledging that violence against women and children is a problem of epidemic proportions," Ms Rodrigues said.

The IWHC is calling for expressions of interest from women across the Illawarra who want to participate.

Ms Rodrigues said the project was about empowering all women.

"When we think about gendered violence, we can acknowledge that women from all different walks of life may have experienced it directly or indirectly," she said.

The project involves creative writing workshops to develop a narrative exploring themes of recovery and healing; developing concept sketches as the scaffolding for photography; and then bringing symbols of recovery and healing to life through photography.

It will culminate in a public exhibition of the works.

"We know that Sylvia, Helena and Sally all work within a trauma-informed framework, which is really important for a project such as this," Ms Rodrigues said.

Expressions of interest close on July 12. Anyone interested can call Ms Rodrigues at the IWHC at 4255 6800 for a participant information guide.