On the evening of April 28, the Hamline student organization Students Preventing Sexual Violence (SPSV) is hosting an art gala themed around sexual violence, focused on highlighting the intersectionality within sexual violence – that is, the way different oppressive institutions such as, but not limited to, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and ableism are connected to sexual violence as a problem and an experience for survivors.

The event will feature a variety of artistic media from over 20 different artists. The SPSV accepted a wide range of art with little restriction because they wanted to leave the interpretation of how to represent the topic to each artist.

“We have around 23 different artists, and we accepted all forms of art,” said Merry Snyder, SPSV president. “We have a lot of display art. We have quite of bit of performance art that includes video, instrumental and spoken word or slam poetry. We left it very open to how people chose to express themselves.”

The event will start with an open gala to view the variety of display art received for the event. During this time, a map will be provided to mark certain works as more (or less) triggering to prepare viewers for more extreme works. Additionally, members of peer-to-peer support group VOICE will be at the event in case anyone is triggered or needs support at the event. Then the performance pieces will begin, and the event will gain more structure as each artist presents.

The idea of using art to present this topic was born within the executive board of SPSV where all decisions are made together. In the past, there have been panels of survivors to discuss their own identities within groups to cover a wide range of intersectionality by simply having a variety of people speak. However, after hosting a self-care workshop, the organization found that a lot of people used art in that process, so when it came to providing ways for more perspectives to cover sexual violence, they turned to art.

“Art was a way to express the way they see it and express the different perspectives,” said Snyder.

Each member of SPSV had their own personal beliefs about what the event will accomplish. A major one is awareness, not just to the existence of sexual violence, but to the elements of diversity within it.

“You can’t compare oppressions,” said Snyder. “It’s good to recognize that certain experiences and aspects are going to be different for different target identities.”

In addition, the gala hopes to promote critical thinking about the topic of intersectionality within sexual violence and for participants to realize the diversity of experiences for anyone who is a survivor of sexual violence and the impact of sexual violence in general.

“I hope this event will expose our campus to the reality that is sexual violence,” said Tina Anderson, Vice President of SPSV. “I hope this makes an impact on everyone in attendance and they feel the urge to fight back against rape culture and sexual violence. Art is a very powerful tool, and I hope everyone on campus feels something after this event. Whether it is anger, love, sadness, or inspiration, I just hope they feel something.”

For those interested in attending, the gala is on Thursday,  April 28,  running from 7-9 p.m. in Anderson Center Room 111/112. If anyone has questions or wishes to get involved with SPSV for next year they can contact the group at spsvhamline@gmail.com.