Binghamton University among the first to present the Dragon Panel Project
Art installation to raise awareness of violence against women of color
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – Binghamton University will be one of the first universities in the country to host the Dragon Panel Project, an art installation that aims to bear witness to interpersonal, political and hate violence against women of color. An opening reception will be held at 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 3, in the atrium of the University Downtown Center, 67 Washington St., Binghamton. This event is free and open to the public.
The Panel Project was founded by Rachel Carey-Harper, who is visiting campus to view the project and speak at the opening reception. A visual artist who advocates for the safety of women, Carey-Harper is passionate about raising awareness about violence against women and has created programs like the Clothesline Project and the Dragon Panel Project to tackle these issues.
The panels consist of black foam boards that feature a person or a story to honor women of color who have been a victim or died due to interpersonal violence. 20:1, Real Education About College Health (REACH), Mental Health Outreach Peer Educators (M-HOPE), the Multicultural Resource Center (MRC), the Q Center and other student groups helped create the panels, which will be hooked together to form a dragon. They will be on display at the University Downtown Center and the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Johnson City; and on the main campus April 3 at Bartle Library and the Tillman Lobby in the University Union.
Binghamton University received a small grant to fund the project. Dara Raboy-Picciano, co-founder and coordinator of the 20:1 Sexual Assault Prevention Program at Binghamton University, said the event is significant because it educates people about a pressing global issue.
“It is important because it increases awareness of the interpersonal violence, including political violence and hate, that women of color are disproportionately victims of,” Raboy-Picciano said. “We, as a University, decided to do this project through a global lens, creating panels for women of color who have been victimized all over the world.”
Binghamton University Health Promotion and Prevention Services, 20:1 Prevention Programs, the MRC and the Q Center are sponsoring the event.