How the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Put Survivors First

Ending sexual violence in all its forms, including assault, harassment, and abuse remains a challenge in our communities. For survivors and loved ones seeking support, whether immediately after the violence or several years later, BARCC has offered direct services that can center survivors and their experiences while also allowing them to heal in the way that is best for them. While crisis response has always remained a key component in our work, we have shifted our efforts to include another focus: violence prevention and awareness through community outreach and education. 

To prioritize prevention, BARCC has built strong partnerships with communities and had encouraged them to commit to ending sexual violence. BARCC's Community Outreach Awareness Prevention Education (COAPES) team has worked extensively with schools, colleges and universities, police, and businesses, as well as other community organizations and groups, to deliver comprehensive workshops and trainings that teach members how to address and prevent sexual violence. Additionally, we have collaborated with several local art institutions, such as the Boston Lyric Opera, to address themes of sexual violence in their art in a responsible, trauma-informed way. 

Our latest partnership with the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum highlights this work in action. Last month, the museum opened three exhibitions to the public: Titian: Women, Myth & Power; Body Language: Barbara Kruger; and The Rape of Europa: Mary Reid Kelley and Patrick Kelley. While preparing the exhibition, museum staff encountered several challenges as how to best address the artworks’ depiction of themes of sexual violence. Realizing that the content could be upsetting and offensive towards some viewers and particularly those in the survivor community, the museum collaborated with BARCC for guidance on how to write content notes, which are similar to “trigger warnings.” Each content note provided viewers with an overview of potential upsetting content, and the notes also gave them power to make an informed decision on whether they felt comfortable to engage with the exhibition. Equally significant, thanks to hours of training, the Gardner museum staff are now equipped to address themes of sexual violence in art as they come up in the future. 
 

Partnerships like these highlight the importance of the work BARCC does every day. Our mission of ending sexual violence through healing and social change is only successful when we work with local organizations and institutions to support them in making positive changes. And this work continues. Lately, we have been collaborating with  activist-led opera company, White Snake Projects, which produces contemporary operas that cover a variety of themes, including sexual violence. We’ve also contributed to White Snake Projects’ meaningful roundtable conversations that focus on raising awareness about intimate partner violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

It is important to note that BARCC cannot do this work alone, which is why we are excited for these opportunities when we can help organizations build up their own capacity for this work and be their own leaders. 

To support BARCC's ongoing education, outreach, and prevention work, visit barcc.org/donate.