Health Through Art

Stop Raping And Breaking Hearts

Wed, 7 Apr 2010 11:39:03 -0700

After what has been a difficult year for our entire community on the issue of rape (particularly the gang rape at Richmond High School that received much media attention), a local, Hayward teenager - Paola Preciado - has created a powerful anti-rape image currently on display as a bus shelter at bus stops throughout the East Bay. From Richmond to Fremont, the piece calls out in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Kanji (which is readable by both Chinese and Japanese readers) “Stop Raping and Breaking Hearts.”

The first of Health Through Art’s 8th Call for Art winning designs, the piece takes an unusual approach to addressing issues of rape. Rather than speaking to victims, it speaks strongly and directly to perpetrators of rape and sexual abuse saying “You don’t have any clue what this does to me.”

By taking such a personal stance, the artist says that she hopes to represent “what it means to get raped and (how) badly it could affect someone’s life by taking someone’s innocence and breaking their heart.”

The piece includes contact phone numbers for local resources both for victims and perpetrators of sexual violence: Men Creating Peace/ManAlive, and Bay Area Women Against Rape. The piece is being posted as a bus shelter (see attached list of locations) at 23 bus stops throughout the Bay Area starting March 24, 2010 and lasting a minimum of one month.

Below you will find additional resources, including new resources available to men who are interested in breaking the cycles of violence perpetrated historically upon women. Workshops, classes and other resources help men learn how to manage their anger, and channel their strength into meaningful and non-violent actions.

Of course there are also links to some amazing local resources for those are victims of rape, sexual assault or domestic violence. Though the road may be long and unclear, you do not have to manage it alone.

8th CFA Awards Ceremony

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:09:47 -0800

On Saturday January 9th more than 200 artists, families, students, teachers, and general community members gathered at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center to celebrate Health Through Art’s 8th Call for Art.

A stunning exhibit of all 338 artwork pieces submitted to the 8th Call for Art was on display and each winning artist received a special award.

Colette Winlock , former HTA CAB member and current coordinator of the Black Women’s Media Project, graciously emceed the event, including a moment of silence in honor of Bia DeOcampo, who

8th CFA Winners Announced!

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:36:03 -0800

We had a whopping 336 pieces of art submitted to the 8th Call for Art! It was an incredibly difficult decision process as there were SO MANY beautiful pieces with stunning art, clever or poignant messages, and from artists young and old. In the end, after a full day of individual and group deliberation the Call For Art Selection Committee - made up of Community Advisory Board members as well as general community - picked 8 winning designs. You can see the designs HERE. Meantime mark your calender for January 9th, when we’ll be celebrating every single submitting artist at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center.

We are pleased and proud to congratulate the following artists:

Jane Neilson, Adult, Berkeley
Harry Oliver, Tennyson High School, San Lorenzo
Paola Preciado, Tennyson High School, Hayward
Fermin Reyes, Oakland Tech High School, Oakland
Lilia Reynoso, Young Adult, Union City
Jose Robles, Dewey High School, Oakland
Khara Scott-Bey, Adult, Oakland
Taylor Wasserman, Young Adult, Anaheim