2008 Woodie Awards
RSSDomestic abuse survivors share experiences, hope
By Elizabeth Fontaine
Issue date: 10/19/07 Section: News
A murmur fills the room - quiet, steady. Wooden faces line the wall - staring, somber. The sculptures represent the victims of domestic violence. The noise is their story.
"In Our Own Words," created by Art Professor Lucy Gans, is an exhibit of over 400 ceramic heads and seven hours of recorded stories from domestic violence survivors.
Gans discussed domestic violence Oct. 11 with a panel of four other women, including Michelle Issadore, assistant director of the Women's Center and sexual violence prevention coordinator; Pam Russell, executive director of Turning Point, a local organization where women and children can go for safety and resources; and two survivors of domestic violence, Lainie Belcastro and Lori Bauer.
Bauer is a 12-year domestic violence survivor. Turning Point helped her leave her ex-husband after five failed escape attempts.
"I can't explain the fear you live with," Bauer said. "I didn't know if I was going home to a hug or a punch in the face."
Bauer said when she looks back on her relationship, she sees signs she missed: She was shoved, slapped, sexually assaulted and once burned with a cigarette. Her ex-husband threatened to beat and kill her.
"I always had an excuse in my own mind as to why these things happened," Bauer said.
Bauer and her ex-husband went to counseling. She was too afraid to leave permanently. Eventually, after recovering from a deep depression, Bauer said she finally left.
Belcastro said she had similar experiences during her four-year marriage to a successful doctor and father of two.
"I didn't get married until I was 31, and I thought I knew it all," Belcastro said. "But the night of the wedding I knew I had married a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."
On three separate occasions, her husband almost killed her, Belcastro said.
Belcastro said one reason she stayed with her ex-husband was because she found it difficult to admit she had been wrong about the man she once loved.
"In Our Own Words," created by Art Professor Lucy Gans, is an exhibit of over 400 ceramic heads and seven hours of recorded stories from domestic violence survivors.
Gans discussed domestic violence Oct. 11 with a panel of four other women, including Michelle Issadore, assistant director of the Women's Center and sexual violence prevention coordinator; Pam Russell, executive director of Turning Point, a local organization where women and children can go for safety and resources; and two survivors of domestic violence, Lainie Belcastro and Lori Bauer.
Bauer is a 12-year domestic violence survivor. Turning Point helped her leave her ex-husband after five failed escape attempts.
"I can't explain the fear you live with," Bauer said. "I didn't know if I was going home to a hug or a punch in the face."
Bauer said when she looks back on her relationship, she sees signs she missed: She was shoved, slapped, sexually assaulted and once burned with a cigarette. Her ex-husband threatened to beat and kill her.
"I always had an excuse in my own mind as to why these things happened," Bauer said.
Bauer and her ex-husband went to counseling. She was too afraid to leave permanently. Eventually, after recovering from a deep depression, Bauer said she finally left.
Belcastro said she had similar experiences during her four-year marriage to a successful doctor and father of two.
"I didn't get married until I was 31, and I thought I knew it all," Belcastro said. "But the night of the wedding I knew I had married a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."
On three separate occasions, her husband almost killed her, Belcastro said.
Belcastro said one reason she stayed with her ex-husband was because she found it difficult to admit she had been wrong about the man she once loved.
