The Clackamas print., October 19, 2016, Page 5, Image 5

What silence sounds like
J e n n ife r Whitten's a rtw o rk , including this piece, is on display at the Wilsonville campus through O c t. 2 8 .
BY ELIZABETH KESSEL
“ W hy not just leave?” they say, or “ I
didn’t know this was going o n .” “ But,
he’s a great guy,” they object. "Leaving
isn’t right.” These are some of the all
too common responses from friends and
family when a loved one reveals that they
are in an abusive relationship. But artist
Jennifer Whitten wants to change the way
people think about domestic violence.
October is national domestic violence
awareness month, which is important
since one out of every three women is
harmed by an intimate partner.
According to Ignacio Gonzalez-Reyes,
a counselor at Clackamas Community
College, domestic violence is “ any type
of perpetrated assault on a member of a
domestic partnership of any kind.”
For this month, Jennifer Whitten, an
alumna of Clackamas Community College
and current student at Marylhurst, shared
the artwork of her personal story in a
gallery located at the Wilsonville campus.
“ ‘W hat Silence Sounds Like’ came
from the idea that I m ight be able to
show people how silence, that silencing
of victims, can become something very,
very loud and detrimental,” Whitten said.
Whitten’s first piece was done within
days, and it took her two months to
finish all of the artwork. Her gallery,
comprised mainly of paintings, can be
viewed through Oct. 28. During that time,
a silent auction is also being
held for each piece, and the
funds will go towards a
scholarship for those
who are escaping
domestic violence.
Altogether there
are sixteen pieces
of art, and each
has a description
o f what W hitten
went through and
why she created that
piece. The descriptions
tell her story, and by
walking through the gallery,
th e y a lm o s t cre a te a t im e lin e .
Whitten will forever remember what
she has gone through, not only mentally
and emotionally, but also through the
scars physically given to her. She was
pushed down stairs, and she feared for
her life and her son’s.
“ I wanted the collection to focus on
the culture of silence that surrounds
domestic violence. It is not a frequent
subject of media coverage, debate or
dinnertime conversation. We
generally tend to shy away
from it as a subject of
conversation, because
it m akes people
uncomfortable or
fe e l h e lp le s s ,”
Whitten said.
“ I wanted the
collection to focus
on the culture o f silence
Domestic violence
that surrounds domestic isn’t just physical.
Jo y c e G a b r ie l,
violence”
the fa c ility and
events coordinator
- Jennifer Whitten for the W ilsonville
campus, commented on
W hitten’ s artwork, though
she suggested that the work is so
powerful that it can speak for itself. As
a survivor of domestic violence as well,
Gabriel recalled that her experience was
different from Whitten’ s.
“ Out of all the exhibits...I’m proudest
of her exhibit,” Gabriel said.
Warning signs of domestic violence
include changes in behavior such as
wearing sunglasses inside a building or
someone who is outgoing and sociable
becoming suddenly withdrawn. The best
way to approach someone who might be
in an abusive relationship is to open up
a conversation and make sure the person
feels safe.
“ I believe that if everyone found their
voice and their power regarding domestic
violence, then intimate partner abuse
wouldn’t be an issue at all anymore,”
Whitten said. “We’d wipe it out by shining
light in all the dark comers it hides in.
Abusers depend on silence. We can, and
must eradicate it!”
Perhaps W hitten’ s artwork will help
break the silence and create understanding
surrounding the issue of abuse. According
to one of Whitten’s artwork descriptions,
she remembers the questions her friends
and family asked, such as, “ Why didn’t
you leave?” She would much rather they
ask, “ Why was he abusing you?”
Qrtamas Print 00068119.2016 thKkJamasprintxcm S