"I Contribute Worth" by Crescent City artist Julie Smiley is featured in the Ink People Center for the Arts' Brenda Tuxford Gallery.

From Ink People Center for the Arts:

“We Are Worthy: Artwork of Survivors,” the new exhibition on view at Brenda Tuxford Gallery, features powerful and inspiring works of art that explore the topic of healing from domestic violence.  Exhibition organizer Julie Smiley, a Crescent City-based artist and educator, created several artworks as part of a collaboration with residents at Harrington House, a domestic abuse shelter in Del Norte County.  "This exhibition is intended to highlight the inherent value of all people—to explore what enables us to make changes, find support, and thrive in healthier lives," Smiley stated.

On average, more than 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men in the United States will experience rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner. Artworks in this exhibition address the traumatic legacy of this often invisible epidemic of violence by charting their makers’ path to recovery. Paintings, a poem, and mixed media artworks by Julie Smiley, Christy Tjaden and Jenny Downs communicate aspects of their makers’ healing process.

Smiley’s abstract multimedia panels have dense, complicated surfaces containing collaboratively sourced elements like intricately cut paper strips and spirals. One artwork features “tear-off mantras” with messages elaborating the exhibition’s centering concept, including:  “I am worthy of love,” “I am worthy of protection,” and “I am worthy of admiration.” Gallery visitors are welcome to tear off a mantra for themselves.

Brenda Tuxford Gallery is a core project of Ink People Center for the Arts. Development of this exhibition has been supported by a F.A.R. grant from Ink People Center for the Arts.

“We Are Worthy”  runs through November 25 at Brenda Tuxford Gallery located in the Ink People building at 627 3rd Street in Old Town Eureka. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday, 9 am—5 pm. You can also view the artworks in the exhibition online at www.inkpeople.org/nowshowing. Call (707) 442-8413 or email gallery@inkpeople.org for more information.

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