Desert Shelter & Healing Art Project-Carole Alden

Carole Alden is a visionary artist who is creating a healing art space in the Utah desert for other women survivors of violence and trauma.  For Carole, fish represent freedom, resilience and survival against all odds. The Fish House will be Carole's home, art studio and the hub for sculpture workshops as she creates fantastical, larger-than-life artwork and a life of her own design after surviving violent abuse and incarceration.


MEET CAROLE
Carole was born in Orleans, France to American parents. She grew up in the Western US, where she began her art practice, first in clay and bronze, then after her children were born, shifted to fiber. She was incarcerated in 2006 for an act committed in self-defense after severe domestic violence. She served 13 years in prison, where she created art against all odds, developing her whimsical wildlife sculptures as well as a body of work that reflects experiences of women dealing with domestic violence and the legal system. Her work has been shown at national and international conferences and exhibits.

Having spent many years as a successful public artist prior to her incarceration, Carole struggled to find materials to create with inside. She taught herself to crochet and developed her own innovative techniques, reflecting on her own experiences and crafting vibrant worlds in the colorless setting of prison. This fantastical and colorful artwork that Carole created inside her prison cell, was a militant act in the face of her confinement within a system that criminalizes survivors of trauma and abuse.

While incarcerated, Carole supported other women by teaching art and mentoring other survivors of domestic violence and abuse. Carole has long had a vision to support other women who are experiencing abuse or healing from trauma, particularly women in rural communities who have fewer resources available to them.

After her release in 2019, Carole realized that she needed stability and secure housing for herself before she could help other women. Her instinct to make art, no matter what, led to the vision for the Fish House: a glowing larger-than-life fish sculpture rising out of the desert where she could live with her chickens and pet fish. The fish structure will also house an art studio. Once she is set up there, she will upgrade the land for a retreat space and therapeutic sculpture workshops where other survivors can come, learn, create and heal.


HOW YOU CAN HELP
Support Carole's powerful vision for healing through art. Here's what your donation will support:

$20,000 to build the Desert Fish House home and art studio and basic necessities on the land, including: water tank and delivery, solar system, composting toilet and shelter, road improvement, and building materials.

$9500 for basic build out for workshops, including windbreak and tent platforms, craft supplies, cooking and other necessities, and safety and emergency essentials.

$5500 for ideal workshop setup, including a yurt for classes, solar showers and lights, community garden, and supplies.


In-Kind Donations: Carole is also seeking in-kind donations of building materials, solar and wind power systems, and other supplies. Please contact us directly if you have supplies or materials to contribute.
 
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