FORCE: Upsetting Rape Culture is a nationally-known creative activist group collaborating with survivors to upset the culture of rape and promote a culture of consent. They have produced large-scale public art projects including the Monument Quilt which has been exhibited nationwide. The Monument Quilt is shown in public spaces to create a safe space for survivors to share their stories and heal through community. FORCE is publicly supporting survivors of rape and abuse. The Monument Quilt will be displayed this summer in the National Mall in Washington, DC.Hannah Brancato, my supervisor, is among FORCE’s leadership team and one of the company’s co-founders. She and others among the leadership team are working to get the quilt ready for display but are also working locally and nationally to create spaces of conversation, host trainings, and speak at art and media conferences to spread knowledge of sexual violence in America.
As an intern for FORCE, I have been working on preparing and making a series of videos about the Monument Quilt. The three-part series talks about the history of the monument quilt and how it has played a role in local and national communities, what FORCE is doing now to prepare for its culminating display at the national mall, and the future to come for the quilt after the display. These projects have enhanced my video editing skills immensely. Throughout this process I’ve gotten to meet and work with all types of people involved in the quilt, whether its volunteers, photographers, interns, or the leadership team. I’ve learned so much about non-profit workflow and what it really means to be involved in the community as an organization that strives to be inclusive to everyone. I’ve been able to witness the intersectionality between art and activism and how I see it playing a role in my future endeavors as an artist, or as Mora calls it, an “artivist.” I’m so proud to have been a part of these events leading up to this display and to have had the privilege to work with these strong individuals.