Elkhart County Prosecutor and local artists create domestic violence art exhibition

ELKHART, Ind.-The statistics speak volumes: 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence from an intimate partner. October is Domestic Violence Awareness month and local artists are banning together to send a message of hope.

The Elkhart Art League and Elkhart County Prosecutor, Vicki Becker, teamed up to hold “Shout It Art! Voices and Visions of Survivorship and Empowerment”, a month-long exhibition that opens Sunday afternoon.

Each piece of art was created by area artists, some even being domestic violence survivors.

Elkhart sculptor Jake Webster is part of the showcase. He has had his own art studio in downtown for nearly 20 years.

Webster’s first experience with domestic violence was when he discovered one of his four daughters was in a domestic violence shelter. He later learned of a woman who, while trying to escape from her abuser, called 911 and was killed while on the call.

These events inspired him to create a series titled “The Last Sound,” art that reflects this question: “What would you want your last sound on earth to be?”

“My thing is art is how to talk and there are so many ways to use art,” Webster said. “Most art like I make is meant to be shared with the community,” Webster said.

Elkhart County Prosecutor Vicki Becker says “Oftentimes, domestic violence is hard to talk about, but the need to express the profound emotional impact of that violence remains.”

Webster hopes both men and women can learn from the showcase.

“There are so many women who still don’t prosecute and there’s just not enough men stepping forward saying how wrong it is,” Webster said. “We can do better and we must do better.”

Sunday’s event is free and open to the public. It begins at 2 P.M. For more information on the exhibit’s opening, click HERE.