Outside Facilitations

I have been hooking a few things up for myself and House Of Ruth Maryland. Lately I've had to think differently about my job and what it entails. First and foremost, I am an advocate of the Residents staying there. I am their biggest fan and protector, so I sometimes have to go where they can't for purposes of anonymity. But sometimes their artwork can be displayed even if they cannot!

On that note, the Youth's artwork will soon be on display at the Same Boat Poetry Slam for MLK Day, coming right up! This event was created by fellow MACAn, Anne Kotleba. We may have one poetess from HORM interested in laying her poetry on East Baltimore....still checking on that, but the kids artwork will definitely be there. Here is the statement for that art:

Young residents from the House Of Ruth Maryland have frequently addressed the topic of violence in their Kid's Therapy sessions. Artwork that speaks to the effects of violence were created using the metaphor of "bad weather" as a guide to their process. The action plan, geared towards 6-9 year old Youth, was part of a larger curriculum based on inherent issues regarding all types of violence. Included in these therapy and art sessions were ideas such as "touching violence", "talking violence", and how to protect oneself from possible future violence in the form of uniquely decorated, Shields of Protection. Each child-sized shield was completed with the image of a cell phone on the back. A personalized safety plan was then created by each Youth. This plan comes in the form of trusted people that they can communicate with when faced with a violent confrontation. It is extremely important for anyone living in a domestic violence situation to have a safety plan, which often includes the help of someone they can trust.

-Shana R. Goetsch
Artist-in-Residence, Arts Facilitator at House Of Ruth Maryland

The House Of Ruth Maryland is one of the nation's leading domestic violence centers, helping thousands of battered women and their children find the safety and security that so many of us take for granted.  www.hruth.org


In keeping with the "outside the shelter" idea, I will be the Guest Artist, and facilitating a few workshops at Better Waverly's 901 Arts in Baltimore. I will be doing two sessions with the youth there, January 19th and 26th on basic collograph printmaking techniques. Collographs have served me well, my friends! There is also a display in the front of the building where my work, along with the 901 Arts Youth's collograph prints, will be shown for about a month after. A part of my thesis work about DV will be shown there.

Other than that, I have an hour art facilitation session outside of Baltimore with some Girl Scouts via House Of Ruth Maryland's Teen Initiative coming up later this month too. But more on all of that later...

ETA: Anne and I skyped the poetry slam to House Of Ruth Maryland during our Haiku workshop...she just didn't have video of us on her end. There are ways around the residents' anonymity, I just have to be increasingly creative about things. It all worked out well.