Under-represented Women and Girls Get an Artistic Hand Up by Native American Artist

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Under-represented Women and Girls Get an Artistic Hand Up by Native American Artist

PRWeb
July 16th, 2012

Yehohanan92/Flikr

On September 8, at National Steinbeck Center’sHonoring Women’s Rights conference, invited speaker Geri Montano, discusses her viewpoint on sexual violence as a feminist Native American artist. Montano speaks of her most recent art installation, Traded Moons, as “exposing what many would rather not see—the consequences of colonization: poverty, lack of employment opportunities, drug and alcohol addiction, racism, isolation on rural reservations, lack of health care, and epidemic sexual violence.”

“These very real experiences, along with the U.S. government continual breaking promises, which devalue first nations people and contribute to low self-esteem. Trauma is compounded, rather than reconciled, generation after generation. As a result, Native American girls and women are left exceptionally vulnerable to predatory traffickers.”

Geri Montano, contemporary artist of Native American heritage.

Montano volunteers at San Francisco women’s shelters by giving including them in her Traded Moons art project. Art therapy is a strong, safe way to express feelings. She says, “I’m not a trained art therapist, but it just made sense and the women really like it. I wish I could spend more time with them, but their lives are so erratic when they come to the shelter, I often only get one art session with each woman.” Still, their voices will not go unheard – she plans to publicly exhibit their pieces.

This story originally appeared at: PRWeb