Survivor Love Letter with Illinois Art Station

Survivor Love Letter is a movement for survivors of sexual assault and their allies to publicly celebrate their lives. It was started by filmmaker and activist, Tani Ikeda in 2012 on the anniversary of her rape where she penned a letter to her younger self that ended with the words:

“this is my survivor love letter.”

Since then, #SurvivorLoveLetter has rippled out and become a hashtag, a letter writing campaign, a national mural project, and a viral social movement.  These letters have immersed thousands of survivors with the message that not only are they believed, not only are they supported, they are loved.

This year’s McLean County exhibit will be displayed at the Coffeehouse in Uptown Normal.

Contributors to the exhibition are invited to write letters or create other small artworks to honor a survivor they know, a survivor they don’t know, themselves, or the next generation of advocates against sexual violence.

Following the exhibition, the letters and artworks will make their way to North Carolina to be displayed at the annual Resilient Voices retreat. Resilient Voices is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that creates community and hosts retreats for survivors of sexual violence.

During Saturdays at the Station on April 8, young artists and their families will create chalk-dipped stationary for community members to write their love letters on. Saturdays at the Station-goers will have the chance to make multiple pieces of stationary, some to leave and some to keep. Young artists and families are, of course, welcome to write letters to contribute to project as well.