“A Woman’s Journey from Domestic Violence Victim to Survivor” is an interactive traveling exhibit that has been displayed at the State Capital, City Hall, the campus of Michigan State University, Cooley Law School, the campus of the University of Michigan, Sparrow Professional Building, the Michigan Women’s Historical Center, Affirmations, Sir Pizza Grand Café, EVE’s Silent Auction, and Judge Krause’s courtroom. The art exhibit began as a project to create survivor art during filming of a domestic violence documentary two years ago. The documentary fell through but the exhibit was completed. It is intended to honor the strength and courage of women who have experienced domestic violence and to encourage others to take action.

Viewers are invited to walk through the door and open the suitcases. Survivors are invited to sign the back of the door. A comment book, artist statement, resource materials, and information are available to the public.The exhibit has inspired a variety of responses. A law professor taught her class around it; a university put together an open event to begin a dialogue on ways a community can take action; a men’s group organized an event to discuss men’s roles in ending violence; a woman was compelled to begin an animal foster care program after she read a statement on the door about a family pet being harmed to control a victim; a collaboration between a local domestic violence counseling program, sexual assault program, and women’s historical center produced an event entitled “Expressions of Healing and Hope” which included the art piece as a focal point as well as other survivors and their art creations and raised money for each of the programs; another woman had her picture taken walking through the door and sent it to her best friend as a sign for her to leave her own abusive relationship; a group of Girls Scouts held a meeting around it; a domestic violence victim contacted her local domestic violence agency for services after seeing the exhibit at a local coffee shop; several eighth grade boys wrote heart warming letters about being positively affected by viewing the door during a class trip - one boy wrote, “The door in the art gallery moved me and touched my heart. The way the men were treating these women was devastating. It made me want to help these women and more women who are having trouble like that.”