The Scarlet Cord: The Story

Behind the Artwork

Wounded - Part of The Scarlet Cord installation

Wounded, Multi media on canvas, 58 x 96 inches, 2014

Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, and forgotten by everybody…that is a much greater hunger. Mother Theresa

A thin red cord holds Jenny captive.
The last time Jenny saw her dad she was seven.
Divorce emptied her.
Her cries—no one hears, no one answers.

An older boy tossed her an easy—“I love you.”
She unsuspectingly gets into his car.
The new boyfriend receives a finder’s fee.
Jenny’s worth: $3,200.

Her owner names her Sugar Baby and says, “I’m your daddy.”
She’s groomed by her new daddy, her innocence stolen.
Pornography fuels the business, and fantasy demands the young.
Like most, she is thirteen.

Driven to meet daily quotas, Jenny and her body surrender.
She feels filthy—outside and in.
No one looks her in the eye.
“Unwanted” tattoos her heart.

Her door swings thirty times a night.
With each click of the lock, her young mind tangles.
Fear dictates.
Abuse braids the scarlet cord and tightens Jenny’s tether.

©2014 Watercolorbypamela – All rights reserved.
(The Scarlet Cord is based on a composite of true stories that have been shared in the news or in reports, while others are original stories. A model and pseudonym have been used.)

FACT: There are nearly 2,400 human trafficking victims in West Michigan (Manasseh Project).

Pamela’s ArtPrize 2014: The Scarlet Cord

Behind the Artwork

Pamela's ArtPrize 2014 installation will be featured inside a railway boxcar

Gerald R. Ford Presidential MuseumThe Scarlet Cord
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
September 24 through October 12, 2014

As visitors step inside a 40-foot storage container filled with thirty doors, they enter a secret world. This dark world crosses religious and social economic borders to sell our children for sex. A twisting scarlet cord depicts the trauma bond that connects the children to their traffickers. The weathered doors represent these abused children whose youthful minds have become knotted. Pamela’s art—dedicated to these suffering children tethered within the sex industry—calls for compassionate action.

Partnering with Women At Risk International:

Women At Risk International

The Scarlet Cord Radio Interview with Shelly Irwin

Behind the Artwork

Jessica Rowland of Women at Risk International and Pamela during radio interview with Shelly IrwinJessica Rowland of Women at Risk International and Pamela were interviewed yesterday on WGVU’s morning show with Shelley Irwin about child trafficking and The Scarlet Cord at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum during ArtPrize 2014. Opportunities for action such as Scarlet Cord bracelets being given out at ArtPrize to help raise awareness were also mentioned. Listen to the interview below:

ArtPrize 2014: The Scarlet Cord

Behind the Artwork

Healing for Trafficked Children

Scarlet Cord setup

A dark thin film drifting in the air began to seep into our lungs as we stepped into the chilly warehouse. It almost felt foggy inside. The smell of mold worried me. But my need for thirty doors for my ArtPrize 2014 installation portraying trafficked children brought my son and me to this place.

After spying row after row of beautiful weathered doors, I forgot my respiratory concerns. Then I discovered that these doors came with a price tag. It didn’t take genius math skills to realize that purchasing thirty doors would be an expensive venture.

So I decided to ask the young woman behind the counter if I could talk to the owner. She directed me to another building. After listening to my passionate plea, the owner graciously said, “Select thirty doors, and I will take a look at them.” Not knowing exactly what he meant, I thanked him and hurried back to the warehouse.

For the next hour, my son and I sifted through doors. Our hands and clothes became filthy with grit and our fingers were numb. We set aside a few doors, and the woman behind the counter directed us to an adjacent warehouse.

The second warehouse was dimly lit. We even could see our breath. As we ventured deeper between the narrow rows of doors, I kept thinking: This is just the kind of place to stash at-risk children. A creepy place.

An hour later the owner came to see my doors. After carefully checking them, he was quiet for a moment and then said, “$35.00 for all thirty doors.”

Overwhelmed with gratitude, I started crying. Touched, the business owner hugged me. Six hours later, after two trips back and forth from the wrecking company transporting the doors, I launched The Scarlet Cord installation with $35.00.

Follow The Scarlet Cord on ArtPrize..