“I just couldn’t let it out,” said a 63-year-old woman, whom I’ll call Trudy. So, for years, the repeated childhood molestation remained hidden. Sometimes shame, guilt, and fear keep secrets—hush hush. Before #MeToo, generations of women often suffered without a voice. They had no platform to talk about what happened to them. After viewing The…
Pamela Alderman with SEE Freedom The Red Jeans Redemption exhibit gives voice to the hidden stories of sexual abuse, rape, and sex trafficking. This community-based work involves multiple layers of participation. First, several individuals donated funds or bought red jeans and left them on my front porch. Next, a couple of sexual abuse therapists agreed…
Abstract work created by Pine Grove Learning Center students and Artist Pamela Alderman, with the generous contribution of Frames Unlimited. To my surprise, special-education teacher Anne Aurand, my neighbor, left a bag in my mailbox filled with beautiful handprints painted by the profoundly challenged students from Pine Grove Learning Center. While spreading the creative treasures…
We are honored to announce that Color Me Orange—Color Me Kind has found a permanent home at the newly renovated Montessori School in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The school entry wall was reinforced to house the 140 pound ArtPrize work. This fall, the students participated in one of our Healing in Arts workshops and created their own…
As an artist, I create inspiring signature pieces for the workplace or community spaces. These unique projects serve to welcome viewers into a healing place. The Cut Short commission entailed constructing the Cut Short Veterans Memorial Garden and creating the collage painting shown above. The 3 x 5 foot wooden flag was specifically crafted in…
Earlier this spring, while attending a memorial ceremony for fallen local soldiers, I heard one gold star mother say, “If my son were still alive, I would be a grandmother by now.” Her deep grief spoke of yesterday’s sorrow. As I listened to her heartache, the initial creative seeds for the Cut Short veterans memorial…