The "Difficult Dialogues" series invites all artists to submit their work on the subject of campus rape and sexual assault--the theme of this year’s quadrennial Difficult Dialogues series, created in honor of Ithaca College president emerita Peggy Ryan Williams.
The Difficult Dialogues committee is hosting a series of activities and events to highlight the many aspects of these crimes, which often traumatize their victims and their victims’ friends and family members, for decades.
Recent statistics from the Department of Justice and collegiate research sources are shocking:
We hope to use art to draw attention to this serious problem and to
· help survivors come forth, recognize there is no shame for them, and recover;
· help bystanders and potential victims all become better at preventing these crimes; and
· bring perpetrators to justice.
There are three separate categories for which you may submit an entry:
1. Film and video. 60-120-second video that can be used in online awareness campaigns
2. Visual art. 2- and 3-dimensional art that could include photography, drawing, painting, sculpture, collage, and multimedia
3. Spoken word, poetry, song (music + lyrics), short prose (up to 750 words, fiction, nonfiction, essay).
A jury composed of members of the Difficult Dialogues Committee will select entries that will be featured during April and May at public events. Cash prizes will be given to those chosen as first-, second-, and third-place entries in each category.
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR
The subject of the artwork should revolve around the themes of sexual violence PREVENTION and of HEALING, EMPOWERMENT, and JUSTICE for victims. We’re hoping the collective brilliance of Ithaca College students will come up with novel approaches that have the power to make a serious difference in eliminating what has come to be known as “rape culture.”
The PREVENTION could be aimed at making vulnerable people aware of their own safety and lack thereof, or about making bystanders aware of how they can participate in keeping vulnerable people safe, or at keeping potential perpetrators from becoming rapists.
HEALING and EMPOWERMENT themes might help survivors who have not felt capable of coming forward to do so, and to show them how they are not alone, and to point them to help; if you as artist have been victimized yourself, you might help other victims find their own path toward peace and strength.
VIDEO
A short (3-5 minute) video
VISUAL ART
Submit high-resolution photo of your artwork with dimensions and list of the materials used; the actual piece will be used in the final exhibition.
WORDS AND MUSIC
Poems up to 120 lines, spoken word of up to 5 minutes, essay up to 1,000 words, nonfiction or fiction story up to 1,500 words.
DEADLINE
For all pieces is NOON on Sunday, March 20 (last day of spring break)
HOW TO SUBMIT:
We will post this information well before the submission deadline.
Some resources:
http://tinyurl.com/CampusSafetyMagSexualAssault
“Ten Things to End Rape Culture” in The Nation
An interview with author and academic Camille Paglia, whose view of feminism is radically different and who says this: “ ‘Rape culture’ is a ridiculous term – mere gassy propaganda, too rankly bloated to critique. Anyone who sees sex so simplistically has very little sense of world history, anthropology or basic psychology. I feel very sorry for women who have been seduced by this hyper-politicised, victim-centered rhetoric, because in clinging to such superficial, inflammatory phrases, they have renounced their own power and agency.”
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20160120225737806