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The Clothesline Project is a collection of t-shirts created by survivors of violence, their family and friends. The goal of The Clothesline Project is to educate the public about the extent, prevalence, and impact of violence against women. It also provides a safe forum for women to speak out abuse: The Clothesline Project bears witness to their personal experiences and celebrates their transformation from victim to survivor in a powerful statement of solidarity.
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The Clothesline Project began in 1990 when members of the Cape Cod Women's Agenda hung a clothesline across the village green in Hyannis, Massachusetts with 31 shirts designed by survivors of assault, rape and incest. Women viewing the clothesline came forward to create shirts of their own and the line just kept growing. Since that first display the Project has grown to 300+ local Clothesline Projects nationally and internationally, with an estimated 35,000 shirts.
In 1997, to commemorate our 25th Anniversary, WIT held a birthday party and hung its first Clothesline. Now, creating t-shirts for the Clothesline is a rite of passage ritual for women participating in the final phase of our Lifeline Group Series - "Survivors" - a support group designed to prepare the women for independent work and action. It is during this final phase that we ask each group member to design a t-shirt to illustrate her own unique journey from victim to survivor of domestic violence. Each t-shirt then becomes part of WIT's ever growing Clothesline Project.
As part of WIT's commitment to educating the community about domestic violence, WIT displays its Clothesline Project at various public events, particularly in October of each year for National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. If you would like to have the WIT's Clothesline on display at your school, church, workplace or other venue, please complete our community education form at least 4 to 6 weeks in advance of the date you would like to display The Clothesline Project. A WIT staff member will call or e-mail you within three business days to discuss your request.
Similar to the AIDS quilt, the Clothesline Project puts a human face on the statistics of violence against women and it has become a distinctive resource for healing from violence and creating social change. Clotheslines have been displayed at schools, universities, State Houses, shopping malls, churches, and women's events. The first National Display took place April 8-9, 1995 in Washington D.C. in conjunction with NOW's Rally For Women's Lives. Upcoming local public displays of WIT's Clothesline Project will be posted here as they are scheduled. Please check back at a later date.
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About The Clothesline Project