UK VIP Center, SGA Exhibit Asks 'What Were You Wearing?'

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 26, 2017) — A free public exhibition on campus presented by University of Kentucky’s Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) Center and Student Government Association (SGA) gives voice to victims of sexual assault.

The "What Were You Wearing?” project allows sexual assault survivors to display what they were wearing when they were assaulted. The exhibit serves to expel the notion that survivors of sexual assault are at fault because of the clothes they were wearing. Currently, a UK version of the exhibit is on display in the lobby of the Lucille Caudill Little Fine Arts Library and Learning Center through Oct. 29.

The "What Were You Wearing?" exhibit was originally created by Jen Brockman and Mary A. Wyandt-Hiebert, who work with sexual assault prevention and education centers at Kansas University and the University of Arkansas, respectively. To create this exhibit for UK, a team of seven students, Carson Hardee, Abby Belisle, JP Bitzenhofer, Maura Cox, Sarah Hurst, Fallon Siebert and Shelby Simpkins, worked with the VIP Center and SGA. All pieces in the exhibit were inspired by stories provided by sexual assault survivors to the team.

The Little Fine Arts Library is open 7:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, 1-6 p.m. Saturday and 1-10 p.m. Sunday.

In the future, the exhibit will be displayed at several other locations around campus including The 90, William T. Young Library and Gatton College of Business and Economics.

The mission of UK’s SGA is to represent all undergraduate, graduate and professional students enrolled at the university. SGA exists to increase student influence over academic policy, provide necessary student services, protect and expand student substantive and procedural rights, and to better represent the student body in relations with the faculty, administration, Board of Trustees and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

The VIP Center works with UK students, staff, faculty and community partners towards shaping a violence-free campus. If you or someone you know needs immediate help, you can visit the VIP Center at Frazee Hall. The center is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, and can be reached by phone at 859-257-3574.

If you need to speak to someone right away and the VIP Center is not open, you can call the Bluegrass Rape Crisis Center's 24-hour line at 1-800-656-HOPE.