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Cherished No More
Every
year 3.3 million reports of child abuse are made in the United States.
In 2010, Wisconsin had 26,452 investigated abuse reports. Minnesota
reports show that of the 4,742 actual abuse cases in 2009, 70% suffered
from neglect. The U.S. Department of Justice's National Crime
Victimization Survey averages 207,754 victims, ages 12 and older, of
rape and sexual assault each year. One in four women will experience
domestic violence in a lifetime, while 15% of domestic violence victims
are male.
My
interest in the issue of abuse started with volunteer work with
children in the Minnesota social system, as a camp counselor.
Repeatedly, the tragedy, the injustice and damage inflicted on humans by
other humans staggers me. This issue awakens within me an instinct to
protect, help and care for the unwanted in our society.
The
goal of this work is to meld portraiture with a psychological
representation of the effects of abuse upon men and women, young and
old, to create a visual experience of what abuse does to mankind. This
is represented in the posture, expression, negative space and the
emphasis on certain lines. This pictorial collage is one way to channel
my passion and heart for the mistreated and unwanted. In a very minor
way, it is my resistance to abuse and the complacent acceptance of it in
our society.
The
16 figures used for this project are models only and not actual abuse
victims. A special thanks to all of them for their collaboration and
assistance.
Shaina Sieh
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, Department of Art & Design Fall 2012 ©Shaina Sieh 2012
Statistic Resources: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Child Welfare League of America; Prevent Child Abuse, Minnesota; Domestic Violence Resource Center.
