Child Abuse is Focus of Art and Poetry Exhibition

It is a topic that people don't want to think too much about--child sexual abuse. But it happens every day and in fact, one in three of all girls and one in seven of all boys are sexually abused by the time they are 18 years of age. It is thought that the numbers could be even higher, but many cases are unreported.

Deannia Friend knows firsthand the horrors of such abuse and has used her poetry to address it and to heal. In an exhibition opening at the Byrneboehm Gallery on April 5, she and artist Deborah Rockman have collaborated to give voice to the issue.

The collaboration began with Friend's poetry about her experience being sexually abused as a child. She has written about the abuse and the journey of healing and has been writing since the sixth grade. "It is my heartfelt passion, my talent and my God-given gift from an unwanted incident that happened to me as a child. I have used it to my advantage by always striving to become a writer," said Friend. She was preparing for a poetry show at the Gallery when she was connected to Rockman through her husband Nuell, who teaches at Kendall College of Art and Design where Rockman is Chair of drawing and printmaking. "During one of Nuell's shows she and I landed on the topic of child abuse and I began sharing my story and poetry with her. She mentioned that some of her artwork relates to child neglect and abuse," said Friend. They found that Rockman's art illustrated the poems well and a collaboration was born. Rockman opened her portfolio to Friend who found pieces of art that complemented her writing. "The pieces blend beautifully, consciously and very effectively together. It's as if my world of writing and her world of drawing were working together, but in their own times and places," said Friend.

"I have always been interested in making art that is socially, culturally or politically engaged. Child abuse or neglect (in its many forms) essentially crosses into all of these arenas. It is not specific to one culture or society or to any specific period in history. It crosses socio-economic and racial/ethnic lines; it crosses secular and religious lines; it crosses political lines. It essentially knows no boundaries," said Rockman.

Rockman doesn't expect that the art exhibition will make any tangible positive impact on the issue, but she does hope that perhaps someone who views the art might do something for a child in danger. "There is a tendency to close our eyes to this pervasive condition. I am showing what many would like to pretend does not exist. If the images tug at someone's psyche, I ask that they take some measurable and meaningful action," she said.

As a survivor of child sexual abuse, Friend wants people to be aware that abuse comes in all forms and speaking out about it helps healing. "So many people want to talk about it, but have such a hard time finding the words to do so," she said.