You are Not Alone

Lorain County Students

Clearview High School, Lorain High School, Avon High School, North Ridgeville High School, and Open Door Christian Schools

ONLINE ONLY

April 16 - May 16

About the Project:

This project is meant to showcase the voices of high school students in the community. To let them know that their voices are important and deserve to be acknowledged and heard. The theme "You are Not Alone" was open to artistic interpretation and showcases a variety of ideas and mediums.

This exhibit began as a way to address the cry in our community for students to feel heard, listened to, and believed. Works in this exhibit were inspired by a demonstration at Lorain High School where 150 students gathered their teachers and staff members into the auditorium for a two hour long student-led forum focused around the topic of sexual assault. In this forum, students told school personnel that they did not feel like the adults were listening to them, taking their experience with sexual assault seriously, and that they felt alone in their struggles. Many pieces in this exhibit relate specifically to sexual assault survivors and promote the idea that they are not alone: their stories matter.

The artwork comes from high school students at Clearview High School, Lorain High School, Avon High School, North Ridgeville High School, and Open Door Christian Schools.

— Tara Daniel

The Growth of Medusa, Madisen Liauw, acrylic, Avon High School, Grade 12

Where Can I Escape?, Mariela Frias, acrylic, Lorain High School, Grade 10

Cyberbullying, De'andre Sigler, acrylic, Lorain High School, Grade 9

Inside and Out, Jenny Irvine, Acrylic Paint, Lorain High School, Grade 9

Dreams Come True/ Believe, Laylah Allen, Acrylic Paint, Lorain High School, Grade 10

Simple Human Comfort, Faith Schneider, ceramic, North Ridgeville High School, Grade 10

Peace, Emily Wilkerson, ceramic, Lorain High School, Grade 12

Yin & Yang, Avanya Walker, acrylic, Lorain High School, Grade 10

Fairy and Cat, Julie Petersen, acrylic, Avon High School, Grade 12

Tears of Relief, Alexia Prestamo, acrylic, Lorain High School, Grade 9

Healing Process, Audrya Arroyo, acrylic, Lorain High School, Grade 9

Rest and Rejuvenation, Jaelyn Stewart, acrylic, Avon High School, Grade 12

Pets, Kylie Pena, ceramic, Lorain High School, Grade 11

Untitled, Kaitlyn Pavlik, ceramic, North Ridgeville High School, Grade 11

Starting New, Abigail Hurst, acrylic, Avon High School, Grade 12

Hands, Anthony Alloway, acrylic on paper, Clearview High School, Grade 12

The Healing Process, Karen Busch, mixed media, Avon High School, Teacher

You are Not Alone, Rose Melendez, mixed media, Clearview High School, Grade 11

Metamorphosis, Caelin Burke, acrylic, Avon High School, Grade 12

Poem, Brandon Valadez, acrylic on paper, Clearview High School, Grade 10

Untitled, Ella Cotterill, acrylic on paper, Clearview High School, Grade 12

Believe in Yourself, Briana Fairbee, collage, Clearview High School, Grade 12

Forest Enchanted, Carrie Prichard, acrylic and pastels, Amherst High School, Grade 11

LaLaLa, Elaina Paradissis, acrylic, Amherst High School, Grade 11

Growth, Cristina Traska, multimedia, North Ridgeville High School, Grade 11

Undefined, Luke Soltis, ceramic, North Ridgeville High School, Grade 12

Perfect As You Are, Sydney Brown, mirror, tile, paint, Avon High School, Grade 12

Continue, Emily Wilkerson, ceramic, Lorain High School, Grade 12

Friends, Samone Whitt and Naila Dower, ceramic, Lorain High School, Grade 9

There Must Be More Than This, Haley Hamilton, ceramic, North Ridgeville High School, Grade 11

Support, Nyx Ayala, ceramic, Lorain High School, Grade 12

The Trinity, Blake Schneider, ceramic, North Ridgeville High School, Grade 12

Packed Together, Kevin Zheng, ceramic, North Ridgeville High School, Grade 12

Untitled, Teddy Murphy, stone carving, ODCS, Grade 12

Untitled, Maggie Conley, photography, ODCS, Grade 12

Untitled, Ellison Dueck, photography, ODCS, Grade 9

Untitled, Andrew Berger, photography, ODCS, Grade 9

Untitled, Abby Hopkins, photography, ODCS, Grade 8

Untitled, Braden Dorsey, photography, ODCS, Grade 9

Untitled, Rebecca Harrison, photography, ODCS, Grade 12

Untitled, Shelby Turner, colored pencil, ODCS, Grade 9

Light in an Inferno of Darkness, Brady Keller, oil pastels, ODCS, Grade 9

Untitled, Hailey Baker, oil pastels, ODCS, Grade 11

Fountain on a Sunny Day, Isabella Soto, Printmaking , ODCS, Grade 12

Untitled, Olivia Longabardi, pen and ink, ODCS, Grade 9

Untitled, Julius Moon, oil pastels, ODCS, Grade 10

Untitled, Parker Loescher, pastels, ODCS, Grade 10

Organizer: Tara Daniel

Tara Daniel is a graduate student at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH studying Social Work.

Statement:

“My name is Tara and I am a survivor of sexual abuse. Though I can't say that my experience allows me to understand the experiences of all those before and after me who have also been assaulted, it did teach me something that I think universally extends to all of us; we deserve to be heard.

Too many people are assaulted throughout the world and never given a chance to tell their story, never given a chance to be listened to, never given help by those closest to them. This collection, made by high school students all across Lorain County, is designed to say in one voice "You are not alone. We hear you. We're here for you."