Freedom Expressions ATL Raising Awareness at Area Colleges in Atlanta
Dear Friends,
November is here and ArtWorks for Freedom is heading to Atlanta, GA for Freedom Expressions ATL, our month-long, arts-based human trafficking awareness campaign with our partners at the International Human Trafficking Institute. Freedom Expressions ATL especially seeks to reach college students, with the majority of our events taking place on higher education campuses throughout Atlanta.
The importance of students in the anti-trafficking movement
Our partnership with IHTI and our college partners in Atlanta acknowledges the great impact of college students on social movements throughout history. From civil rights in the U.S. to ending apartheid in South Africa to promoting democracy during the Arab Spring, college students have been at the forefront of demanding justice. Student activism remains just as critical to the international movement to end modern-day slavery.
We are encouraged to see growing numbers of students responding to the challenge to end trafficking in their communities, and this month on our blog, we’ll be highlighting students from Atlanta and New York who have been heavily involved in anti-trafficking work throughout their college years. We will also share stories of college students leading anti-trafficking work on our social media all month long, so be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more inspirational stories of youth standing up against trafficking.
Most importantly, if you are in Atlanta this month, check out the event details of Freedom Expressions ATL below, and join us at one of the events. The more you know about human trafficking, the more you can act as an activist in your community.
ArtWorks for Freedom is partnering with the International Human Trafficking Institute in Atlanta, GA to present "Freedom Expressions ATL," a human trafficking awareness campaign that will run from November 4 – November 30. Throughout the month, national and local artists will present photography, paintings, films and conceptual art that convey the complexities of human trafficking and move audiences to take action against the crime in their communities.
Exhibits and installations include:
“Bought & Sold: Voices of Human Trafficking,” by photographer Kay Chernush
“What You See is Not Who I Am,” by Groundswell student artists
Red Sand Project, by artist-activist Molly Gochman
Film screenings include:
“Not My Life”
“Tricked”
“The Long Night”
“Playground”
“Food Chains”
“The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan”
“Fields of Mudan”
“Daughters for Sale”
“The Dark Side of Chocolate”
Events for Freedom Expressions ATL are being held across multiple locations including Emory University, Atlanta University Center, Georgia Perimeter College, Georgia State University, Kennesaw State University, Agnes Scott College, Spelman College and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. Visit our MOBILE WEBSITE for a full list of events and locations.
Donor Spotight:
CV Fine Art Services
ArtWorks would like to thank CV FINE ART SERVICES for their generous art installation services in support of Freedom Expressions ATL!
CV Fine Art Services, a division of Classic Design Services, provides transit, installation and warehousing needs for top interior designers, art galleries, museums, manufacturers, high-end furniture showrooms, and antique dealers in Metro Atlanta and the greater Southeast region of the United States.
“We decided to donate our services to ArtWorks for Freedom based on the awareness the organization is trying to raise as well as the uniqueness of the installations,” says Client Services Manager Steve Cyr. “It can require a tremendous amount of effort to make projects like this come together. If our participation makes it easier for ArtWorks for Freedom to get the message out there, we are more than happy to assist.”
Please join us in thanking CV Fine Art services for their generous support! Visit their website and follow Classic Design Services on Facebook and Twitter.
Business Spotlight:
Fabpro Technologies
Displaying art takes a village! We're thankful that our village includes FABPRO TECHNOLOGIES, a company providing innovative solutions to manufacturers through product design, engineering, and manufacturing of sheet metal components and assemblies. ArtWorks turned to Fabpro to create frames for our Bought & Sold exhibit and they came through again with an ingenuous design for our mural series "What You See is Not Who I Am," currently on exhibit as part of our Freedom Expressions ATL campaign in Atlanta, GA.
"We have made a lot of parts for a lot of different industries but nothing we have made has been as satisfying as the frames we made for Artworks for Freedom," says Fabpro owner Antoine Hutchinson. "The parts have challenged our creative side as well as our artistic side. Working with Artworks for Freedom has once again made us better."
ICYMI: Last Month On Our Blog
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SARAH SYMONS is Co-founder and Executive Director of the anti-trafficking nonprofit Made By Survivors. Sarah was enjoying a career as a recording artist and TV music composer when she learned of human trafficking through the film “The Day My God Died.” Moved to become involved in the issue, Sarah and her husband John Berger threw themselves full-time into the anti-trafficking fight and, in 2005, founded Made By Survivors. Read more of our Freedom Q&A with Sarah.
In October, ArtWorks for Freedom chose to take a look at the issue of human trafficking and business supply chains, asking ourselves:
When it comes to supply chain awareness, how complicit are we?
ArtWorks Executive Director Michele Clark gives you her point of view on this question on our blog.Read here.
News & Events From Around Our Community
BORDERLESS CAPTIVITY IN BONN, GERMANY
ArtWorks is thrilled to have selected images from our photo exhibit "Borderless Captivity" on display at the Bonn Women’s Museum as part of “1-in-3,” a World Bank traveling exhibit that explores violence against women. In "Borderless Captivity," ArtWorks Founder and President Kay Chernush uses photographs to put a human face on the statistics and headlines, to tell the stories of modern day enslavement and the journey towards freedom.
WOMEN OF PEACE CORPS LEGACY
This week on November 3, ArtWorks for Freedom Founder/President Kay Chernush and Executive Director Michele Clark presented to the Women of Peace Corps Legacy during a networking reception. Kay, a Peace Corps alum, shared with guests why she founded ArtWorks for Freedom. Other presenters included representatives from Let Girls Learn, Girls Up, Girls Rising, Girls on the Run. Thanks to Women of Peace Corps Legacy for inviting ArtWorks to speak!
SURVIVOR PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP WITH MENTARI
In October, ArtWorks for Freedom partnered with Mentari Human Trafficking Survivor Empowerment Program to hold a two-day photography workshop in New York City. Conducted by Kay Chernush, the workshop introduced 6 participants to principles of composition, color, texture, and the idea of photographing with intention. Participants used their cameras to explore a Queens neighborhood and park, learning how to capture a sense of place and opening their eyes to the many visual possibilities around them.
If you work directly with survivors and would like to set up a photography workshop, please contact us for more information. And check out photos from the workshop on our website.
BARBARA AMAYA WINS
A 2015 TAZ AWARD
Congratulations to our friend and Advisory Board member Barbara Amaya on being named a TAZ (The Author's Zone) award winner! Barbara's memoir "Nobody's Girl" won 1st place in the autobiography category, announced last month at the TAZ writers conference.
VOLUNTEER BLOGGERS WANTED!
Are you a writer or digital content creator looking for a way to help end human trafficking? We’re looking for volunteer bloggers to share local stories of anti-trafficking work. This is a great opportunity for students, freelancers and blogging enthusiasts! Email our blog editor Courtney McSwain for more details.
Dear Friends,
ArtWorks would like to thank CV FINE ART SERVICES for their generous art installation services in support of Freedom Expressions ATL!
“We decided to donate our services to ArtWorks for Freedom based on the awareness the organization is trying to raise as well as the uniqueness of the installations,” says Client Services Manager Steve Cyr. “It can require a tremendous amount of effort to make projects like this come together. If our participation makes it easier for ArtWorks for Freedom to get the message out there, we are more than happy to assist.”
Displaying art takes a village! We're thankful that our village includes 
"We have made a lot of parts for a lot of different industries but nothing we have made has been as satisfying as the frames we made for Artworks for Freedom," says Fabpro owner Antoine Hutchinson. "The parts have challenged our creative side as well as our artistic side. Working with Artworks for Freedom has once again made us better."
