I am Holly. A full-time artist, part-time barista, and the Chair of the Denver Art Society. My artwork is mostly assemblage sculptures, but as you will see this project is different. I knew I would have to step out of my comfort zone to create this piece from the ground up if I wanted to convey the message I wanted heard. I am very passionate about this project, what it will become, and the lives it represents, so I can’t thank you for joining me on this adventure.
A little about me…
*** EMOTIONAL IMPACT ADVISORY ***
Take a minute to read the full story below, where I will elaborate on my motivation, my intention, and why I have decided to pursue this as collaborative art.
OR skip ahead HERE to see how you can help.
How it started…
June 24, 2022 Roe v. Wade was overturned. All I could think about was my daughters, my mother, my grandmother, alongside all the women who fought so hard to obtain the same right to bodily autonomy as men. I began drawing all kinds of rebellious stickers, slogans, rants…whatever was going to help me process. I created one sticker in particular I loved even if no one purchased. I called it “Crucified Uterus.”
On September 7, 2022 Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas made a bold statement to the extremely restrictive abortion bill that had gone into effect in his state. “Let’s make something very clear, rape is a crime, and Texas will work tirelessly to make sure that we eliminate all rapists from the streets of Texas by aggressively going out and arresting them and prosecuting them and getting them off the streets.” Abbott continued, “So, goal number one in the state of Texas is to eliminate rape, so that no woman no person will be a victim of rape.” As a former Texas resident with many friends and family still residing there, I was angry at such a such an overreach of government and gaslighting. I knew Gov. Abbott had no intention of keeping his word or following through on his “goal number one in the state of Texas,” subsequently, his words never left me.
On January 24, 2024 the Journal of American Medical Association, JAMA, wrote a research letter, you can find HERE, titled “Rape-related pregnancies in the 14 US States with total abortion bans.” Obviously, I went straight to Texas to see for myself how well they were doing with their promise. Sadly, I found exactly what I thought, only worse. Gov. Abbott failed not only the women of Texas, but all the people of Texas. From July 1, 2022 to January 1, 2024 Texas had 211,919 reported rapes among girls and women ages 15 to 45, resulting in 26,313 pregnancies.
Side note: These numbers are only inclusive of people who can become pregnant and reported it. Statistically, there are about 15% of reported rapes outside of these parameters and only 1 in 5 actually report. Now, if we calculate the number of those who didn’t report the crime and are outside the parameters of this report, the number of survivors is estimated to be 1,218,530 in Texas in an 18-month time frame. That’s 67,696 a month in a state with 1,225 municipalities, that is 1-2 a day in every town, city and village in Texas.
This had me outraged. However, I wanted to know how well Gov. Abbott had held up his end of the promise, so down the rabbit hole I went. Surprisingly, this information is openly available on the Texas Department of Public Safety website. They provide arrest records for every year, broken down by the charged crime, therefore I decided to look at one category as it seemed to be the most used and relevant for this purpose, “Sexual Assault.” I went from 2018 thru 2024 and found that arrests seem to be up by around 10%, yet the current Crime in Texas Annual Report shows a decrease of clearance by 2-4% over the last couple years. Needless to say, as unclear as the numbers are, it’s obvious that Gov. Abbott has not held his word.
But what could I do?
I do what I do best and bring awareness through my art. Thanks to my husband’s suggestion, I started sculpting the “Crucified Uterus.”
What’s the plan?
I am almost completely done with the body of the sculpture itself, but…. that’s not all there is to this. My plan is to:
1) Place this sculpture on top of a four-foot-wide circular table with 26,313 mini babies, to represent the pregnancies due to rape in Texas.
2) A white picket fence will surround the pile, with a single gate that only money can open. This fence will be carved with victims initials all over it.
***There is more but for now, this is what I am focused on.
How can you get involved?
I cannot imagine this project not being a community collaboration, as it is the community that is suffering, so I am asking for your help.
1) If you’d like to purchase some babies for this piece, you can click the link below to a list of different buying options that will be shipped directly to me.
2) To place initials of a survivor on the fence, please purchase a donation sticker below and submit the initials on the google form after.
Donation Sticker
Take a look at the original sketch of what the final product would look like.
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