Journeys through pain, suffering and friendship can be seen in artworks placed around the Old Wollongong Courthouse on Cliff Road.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The annual Purple Ribbon Exhibition comes from a group of women who turned to art for comfort from a very dark, cold place.
They are diverse in age, occupation and personality, but all share the same grief.
The fronts they put on to the world each day “mask” the scars of being abused as children - physically, mentally and sexually.
Jeannie Bliss-Foye began the Purple Ribbon creative workshops 18 years ago because she didn’t want others to go through what she did, alone.
Ms Bliss-Foye, like many others in the group, had repressed memories rear their ugly heads later in life.
The former youth worker said it was an incredibly difficult time, ended up in hospital twice and relied heavily on alcohol to ease her pain.
Rebecca Hinder is one of the newer members and spoke of being a ward of the state, intentionally burned with an iron, being gang raped and turning to drugs quite young to help cope.
“My abuse started at three months old, within family and outside from positions of power. It only stopped when I was 28,” she said.
The mother-of-one said joining the fortnightly art workshops helped her feel accepted because every woman there “was a survivor too”.
Ms Bliss-Foye said abuse could happen to anyone of any status and came in many forms from the hands of men and women.
She spoke of years ago approaching a Wollongong politician to help with funding, only to find out the woman was dealing with her own grief and found it too painful to assist them with their work.
The group’s secretary Sharon Spencer admitted at age 50, she still slept with the pillow pulled down just over her eyes.
“So I don’t see what’s about to happen to me,” she said.
Ms Spencer joined the group in 2010 and in the beginning was too frightened to draw anything bigger than a 50 cent piece, and even now struggles to use colour in her works.
Works from other women can be seen to be very personal, graphic and dark when beginning to take a brush to canvas.
“I still remember my first one,” said Jenny Phillips.
“It was black and it had a red tear on it and a piece of chain. I always felt the red tears were like blood … and those tears were always chained to your past.”
But Ms Spencer cautioned they were not a therapy group but instead a free art class which offered the comfort of knowing everyone was going through the same grief.
“While we fit the criteria of women who have suffered abuse, that’s only part of why we’re there,” she said.
Instead of people not understanding or asking “what is wrong with you”, these women can comfort each other without ever having to say a word.
“It’s a place to be me however damaged I may be or feel, I am 100 per cent accepted,” Ms Spencer said.
Purple Ribbon is totally self-funded, mainly by sausage sizzles and art sales, without any government grants.
The few women who were brave enough to speak to me cling to this group for dear life as it offers them comfort and a moment of peace.
They would never be bold enough to call themselves artists due to years of being made to feel they were not good enough, but they are.
Intense emotions have been channeled into profound oil paintings, sculptures, beautiful acrylic dragonflies and poetry.
Looking to the future these women have each other, they have their art and hope.
New members are welcome, for more information visit: www.purpleribbonworkshops.org.au