When words fail, art speaks. For survivors of sexual violence and human trafficking, the journey toward healing is deeply personal, non-linear, and often requires more than traditional therapeutic approaches. Creative expression through visual art, music, writing, dance, and other artistic mediums, offers survivors a powerful pathway to process trauma, reclaim their narratives, and rebuild their sense of self.
At Our Voice, we’ve witnessed firsthand how art can transform pain into purpose and silence into strength. This month, our sold-out Believe Survivors Artist Showcase celebrates the courage of survivors and artists who are using creativity to amplify survivor voices and foster community healing.
As performing artist, community advocate, and Our Voice Board President Monica L. McDaniel shares, “I participate in this showcase because art gives survivors what words alone cannot—visibility, validation, and a pathway to healing. Art allows us to tell the truth safely and reminds survivors they are not alone.”
Understanding Trauma and the Need for Alternative Healing Pathways
Sexual violence and human trafficking create complex trauma that affects survivors physically and emotionally. Trauma stored in the body can be difficult to articulate in words, especially when survivors are still processing what happened to them. This is where creative expression becomes transformative. Art therapy and creative healing modalities allow survivors to:
- Process emotions without needing to verbalize them immediately
- Externalize trauma in a tangible, controllable form
- Reclaim agency and control through the creative process
- Build new neural pathways that support healing and resilience
- Connect with others who understand their experience
Art as a Trauma-Informed Healing Tool
Research consistently shows that creative expression activates different areas of the brain than verbal processing, making it particularly effective for trauma recovery. When survivors engage in artistic activities, they’re creating something beautiful and rewiring their relationship with their own story.
Mixed-media painter Marsha Almodovar, whose work explores themes of social justice, bodily autonomy, and healing generational trauma, explains: “I believe Art can play a profound role in the healing process for survivors, offering pathways for expression, empowerment, and restoration. I believe in the powerful work Our Voice does in our community in aiding healing and hope.”
Whether through visual arts like painting and sculpture, writing and poetry, music and sound, or movement and dance, creative expression offers survivors multiple pathways to healing. Each medium provides unique benefits: visual art allows survivors to depict emotions that feel impossible to name, writing helps reclaim voices that were silenced, music regulates the nervous system and provides comfort, and movement helps survivors reconnect with their bodies in positive, empowering ways.
Singer-songwriter and producer Allison “A.G.” Hammond, a survivor who endured 27 years of abuse and was also sexually trafficked, has channeled her experiences into both music and advocacy. A.G. created Verbal Purple™, an “Autonomous Awareness Promotional Engine” designed to create events for donations to domestic violence, sexual abuse, and mental health organizations. Her journey demonstrates how survivors can transform their pain into powerful advocacy through creative expression.
In her own words, A.G. shares: “I endeavored to be part of organizations and to create an organization that helped survivors and victims… I was assisted by local Asheville organizations Helpmate and Our Voice and appreciate and love them to the core!”
The Community Aspect: Healing Together
While individual creative expression is powerful, communal art-making and sharing adds another layer of healing. When survivors see their experiences reflected in others’ work, they realize they’re not alone. When community members bear witness to survivor stories through art, it creates space for empathy, understanding, and meaningful support.
This is the heart of our Believe Survivors Artist Showcase. We’re demonstrating that believing survivors isn’t passive, it’s active, creative, and community-centered. Every piece of art tells a story, challenges misconceptions, and creates space for survivors to be seen, heard, and honored.
How You Can Support Creative Healing for Survivors
Whether you’re a survivor exploring creative expression for your own healing or a community member wanting to support survivors, there are many ways to get involved:
For Survivors:
- Explore different creative mediums without pressure or judgment—there’s no “right” way to create
- Join art therapy programs or creative healing groups in your community
- Share your work if and when you feel ready—on your own terms
- Remember that healing isn’t linear, and your creative practice can evolve with you
For Community Members:
- Support organizations like Our Voice that provide trauma-informed services and creative programming
- Create space for survivors to share their stories through art without judgment or pressure
- Advocate for funding for art therapy and creative healing programs
- Practice trauma-informed language when discussing survivor experiences
Moving Forward: Art, Healing, and Hope
Creative expression offers survivors of sexual violence and human trafficking a pathway to healing that honors their unique journey, respects their timeline, and celebrates their resilience. Whether through painting, writing, music, dance, or any other medium, art allows survivors to transform their pain into something meaningful for themselves and for their communities. We invite you to recognize the power of creative healing and support survivors in expressing their truth.
Support the Believe Survivors Artist Showcase
While our February 24th showcase is sold out, you can still be part of this meaningful event:
Make a donation to Our Voice’s survivor programming to provide critical resources, trauma-informed services, and safe spaces for survivors in our community.
Enter our art raffle for a chance to win incredible local art—you do NOT need to be present to win!
Every contribution directly supports the healing resources and services that help survivors rebuild their lives.
Special thanks to our partner Verbal Purple and our sponsors: Mosaic Realty, Ananda Hair Studio, Asheville Art Supply, Asheville Forager, Sarver Realty Group, and Work Nouveau for helping to amplify survivor voices and spark crucial conversations about sexual violence and human trafficking.