VISUAL ARTS
Wings of healing and hope
Harpeth Hall senior Caroline Johnson’s mural inside the YWCA’s Weaver Domestic Violence Center represents the transformation possible when healing from trauma by Jessica Bliss
monarch butterfly boasts two pairs of brilliant orange-red wings laced with black lines and white spots along the edges. The species’ scientific name danaus plexippus, which in Greek means “sleepy transformation,” evokes the butterflies’ ability to hibernate and metamorphize. Last summer, as Harpeth Hall senior Caroline Johnson ’22 stepped foot in the YWCA’s Weaver Domestic Violence Center to paint a mural on one of the center’s walls, she had the butterflies’ beauty in mind. The monarch’s transformation parallels the experiences of women and girls who seek shelter and support at the center. The Nashville safe haven opened in 2000 to provide help and hope to women who need to escape abusive situations. It is named after the father of Collins Weaver Hooper ’88, a past Board of Trustees member and past HHPA president. Since opening, the center has served thousands of individuals, including 406 adults and children last year. As the largest emergency shelter in the Nashville area, the 65-bed center provides a safe space for domestic violence survivors and their children to stay. Caseworkers at the shelter connect residents with counseling, support groups, respite care, and more community services to help survivors become self-sufficient and begin the process of healing from trauma. Art also holds the power to heal. “I simply love the fact that art can be universally understood and appreciated,” Caroline said. “No matter what language you speak or place you come from, beautiful art is beautiful art and does not require any prerequisites. “Women and girls need art because everyone needs art. Art can represent the experiences of being a girl, both the joyful and the painful ones. Art is a great tool for processing emotions and for telling stories, which is important in a place like the Weaver Domestic Violence Center.” The mural Caroline painted on the wall at the center highlights the colors of the YWCA, orange and black, through myriad monarch butterflies. Wings spread, the butterflies float across the wall, surrounding the image of a woman, her face peaceful and contemplative. “I wanted the women staying in the shelter to see themselves in the art,” Caroline said. For Damien Talley, the YWCA’s vice president of domestic violence services, the mural conveys an important message to the women and children who stay at the shelter. “That no 14 | HARPETH HALL HALLWAYS
“The mural represents the resilience and determination of the women and children that we serve at the Weaver Center every day.” — Damien Talley, vice president of domestic violence services at YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee
matter the circumstances, hope is always in the midst,” he said. “That they are strong and capable of obtaining any dream they are willing to pursue and that they are deserving of happiness, love, peace, and joy.” The artwork carries additional significance, he said, because a local student created it. “This young woman is a monumental representation of the power and energy that young people, especially young women, wield through simply being their authentic selves and given the space to express themselves as freely as they can,” he said. “Her artwork is touching lives and, in many ways, presents a dynamic vision of what hope can look like. The fact that she is a local student demonstrates that we don’t ever have to look too far to tap into that power.” If you have general questions about domestic violence or a specific situation you would like to talk through, you can call the YWCA’s 24-hour Crisis and Support Helpline at 1-800-334-4628 or send a text to 615-983-5170.
