Sexual Trauma Sutured Hope

From the Heart

Hope charms on scarlet cord nacklace

“The same scarlet cord that tethers the children to their pimps can be used to suture their wounds,” said a young student when The Scarlet Cord was on exhibit during the Super Bowl in Phoenix. The student’s insightful words amazed me. Both visitors and supporters weave life and healing into The Scarlet Cord installation as our lives interface.

Several months ago, I emailed that I wanted to give some tangible gift to specific visitors to encourage them when they shared their painful stories. Although we already give out a scarlet cord bracelet, I wanted something special for the wounded souls who share heart-wrenching stories. Something small, but beautiful, to communicate love and hope.

One of my friends responded to the challenge and spent the day shopping for the perfect gift. She phoned several times, excitedly describing little gems she was finding. By the end of the day, she purchased a dozen carefully selected necklaces with “Hope” pewter charms. This woman spent the day crisscrossing the city to look for very special gifts. Her enthusiasm and sacrifice touched me.

While exhibiting The Scarlet Cord at Women’s Expo, I brought the necklaces, anticipating an opportunity to encourage someone among the 19,000 visitors.

On Saturday, a woman shared that an 11-year-old girl from her daughter’s school came to her house crying because her father had been sexually abusing her. Although the father is now incarcerated, the woman is still involved in helping the child to recover from the abuse.

The child is terrified to be alone with any man—even good men; she struggles with major trust issues. So the woman has chosen to keep a close eye on the girl and rearrange her schedule to accommodate the child’s needs.

After listening to the story of this girl, I gave the woman one of the beautiful “Hope” necklaces. I asked the woman to give it to the girl and tell her that we love her and that we will pray for her. I shared how my friend had donated the necklace to remind the little girl that there is hope for her future and that people care about her.

The student’s words are powerfully true: “The same scarlet cord that tethers the children to their pimps can be used to suture their wounds.” Through the listening and sharing of stories, raw emotional wounds, that in some cases have festered for years, are finally stitched together and given a chance to heal. In these precious moments, “Hope and Healing” are experienced and lives are transformed.

Coming Soon

The Scarlet Cord at Acton Institute on April 29, 2015

Past Exhibitions

ArtPrize 2014 partnering with Women At Risk, International
North Central Michigan College
Roosevelt Row Art District partnering with StreetLightUSA
West Michigan Women’s Expo partnering with Kohler Expos
Cornerstone University

The Scarlet Cord in Phoenix

Behind the Artwork

A couple in Phoenix viewing The Scarlet Cord installationThe Super Bowl is today. Downtown has been alive with activity for days. Barricades. Policemen with dogs. Bustle on the sidewalks. Helicopters. Camera crews. The Blimp. A $17.00 Super Bowl mug.

But on a deserted lot in Roosevelt Row Art District, The Scarlet Cord offers hope and healing to the wounded and curious…

  • A prostitute asks for help to feed her children
  • An ASU professor requires her class to visit The Scarlet Cord
  • An aunt sheds tears over the rape of her 20-year-old niece
  • A young woman confides that she had been raped at 12
  • Another expensive car with darkened windows slows before driving away
  • A hand brushes a single tear off a cheek
  • A young students says, “The same scarlet cord that tethers the children to their pimps can be used to suture their wounds”
  • A man emerges from the nearby broken-down hotel and walks through The Scarlet Cord
  • A young pedicab driver stops to talk and decides to see the installation
  • A couple slowly walks through The Scarlet Cord as the young woman cries
  • A seasoned news anchor commenting on The Scarlet Cord says, “I did not realize the extent of the problem when I went out there; you can’t walk away without having an impact.”

Visitors to The Scarlet Cord in Phoenix at nightA middle school girl sat down on the curb—holding her head in her hands—crying out, “I know what it’s about. I know what it’s about.”

You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know. William Wilberforce

ArtPrize Meets the Super Bowl’s Sex Trafficking

Behind the Artwork

Tethered string art installedThe Scarlet Cord is in Phoenix to help raise awareness of sex trafficking. The Super Bowl is at the epicenter of the American sex industry. According to Forbes and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, roughly 10,000 prostitutes were brought into Miami for the Super Bowl there in 2010.

In addition to raising awareness, The Scarlet Cord installation can be an agent for healing as evidenced at ArtPrize 2014. Visitors struggling from child molestation, college rape, or sex trafficking verbalized their pain—maybe for the first time.

During the ArtPrize exhibition, women of all ages lined up every day to talk about their traumatic sexual experiences, hoping to experience some level of healing. One of my friends keenly observed, “There are a lot of hurting people out there.”

Once again The Scarlet Cord has an opportunity to speak to hundreds, if not thousands, of visitors to help educate them on the injustices within the commercial sex industry and to give victims an opportunity to work through their deep wounds.

The Scarlet Cord
813 N. 1st Street • Roosevelt Row Art District
January 23 through February 1, 2015
Daily 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sponsored by StreetLightUSA

The Scarlet Cord – Flourish Phoenix

Behind the Artwork

Tethered close-up

For five days beginning next Wednesday, downtown Phoenix will play host to an expected one million visitors, all anxious to be part of the unparalleled hype that surrounds the Super Bowl each year wherever it is played. There will be live music, great food, national sports broadcasts, and even a giant climbing wall reminiscent of the Grand Canyon.

Those who wander a few blocks north towards Roosevelt Row will find something else that may seem out of place: a 40-foot storage container with people streaming in and out.

Inside the container they will find The Scarlet Cord, an award-winning exhibit by artist Pamela Alderman. The exhibit, which opens January 23 and runs through February 1, will be open from 10am to 9pm each day and admission will be free. The Scarlet Cord is presented by StreetLightUSA, a Phoenix-based nonprofit specializing in providing care for child victims of sex trafficking and exploitation.

Get the rest of this article about The Scarlet Cord on Flourish Phoenix…