The Scarlet Cord Collection, which first debuted at ArtPrize 2014, helps raise awareness for sex-trafficking. But it also speaks to deep emotional wounds caused by sexual abuse. Many male and female visitors have taken the first brave steps towards healing while experiencing the artwork. By using words or releasing tears in acknowledgement of what happened,…
The average age children first become victims of prostitution is twelve to fourteen, according to the FBI. To help raise awareness and combat this problem, Kelsey Rottiers, the singer of Midnight Wars, and I, with The Scarlet Cord, pooled our efforts for this music video. Kelsey and I have have discovered that we can make…
The Scarlet Cord can be described as street outreach—culture care to the most vulnerable in our communities. Visitors, struggling from child molestation, college date rape, or sex trafficking, verbalized their pain—maybe for the first time. Several actually laid their heads on my chest and sobbed. Thirteen women in West Michigan confided that they had been…
In partnership with Women At Risk International for ArtPrize 2014, my installation called The Scarlet Cord was housed in a 40-foot shipping container to raise awareness of human trafficking in the United States—the land of the free. That year, thirty thousand ArtPrize visitors received scarlet cords—a reminder to build a circle of protection around children…
Art’s interactive installation has a subtle power to serve as a healing catalyst. Visitors often experience new insight when given an opportunity to connect with the work. As the artwork begins to unlock the soul, the interactive installation becomes a place of hope and healing. Here’s an excerpt from Walker’s story that inspired an avalanche…
In 2012, Courage Ablaze included seven-foot pillars portraying Congo’s stories of rape and images of the fierce determination of Congolese women. An eight-foot copper tree, the Flame Tree, held charred frames representing the eight million people slaughtered in Congo’s holocaust. The small pillars portrayed the courageous survivors rising up out of the ashes and rebuilding…