Hey!

My name is Jessie and I am an artist and therapist born and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia. I am developing an art exhibition to highlight themes and stories I have from working with justice-impacted youth in conjunction with Libera, Inc. (www.liberawv.com). I have been leading groups at the Ronald C. Mulholland Juvenile Detention Center in Wheeling, WV with girls for the past four years and hearing their stories. I have a degree and background in fine art from WVU and my LPC licensure and I hope to use these two realms together to illuminate the many girls involved in the justice system and show their humanity and how they are a product of their life circumstances.

At Libera, we are working with the WVU Department of Sociology and Anthropology as well as the Research Center on Violence through Dr. DeKeseredy, who has worked in the field of research on violence against women and incarceration, to conduct research into the girls' stories and backgrounds. Hearing these stories and talking to these girls every week, I felt the need to make this rejected population visible in a large way-to show the beauty I see in them and the hope for a different future than the trauma they have faced most of their lives.

I have one set that I have put together and funded myself and I am seeking funds for the rest (at least 8 total for the final exhibition). The sets will each focus on an area or theme of trauma I have heard in these many stories. Each set will ballpark around $1000 and this does not include payment to the formerly incarcerated man who designed and is helping me construct the cases, so I am seeking funding to pay him what he deserves as well for his collaboration. There will also be a quilted element that involves the girls themselves. Anything beyond that will go to payment for advertising, transportation and associated costs as well as some payment for my time to create the space where I am able to devote the hours needed.

Anyone donating over $100 will have their name associated with helping fund the exhibition noted when the show is up (if wanted)* and for anyone wishing to fund a whole set ($1500 with labor) their name or department will be placed next to that set.*

Thank you so much for your consideration and I hope you can make it to the show when it is complete! Updates will be posted on date and location once that is established.

-Jessie Haring, LPC

*If you donated $100 or more or are sponsoring a whole set for $1500 and would like your name credited in the exhibition, please type in quotations " " exactly how you would like your name or department to be written out.