A Kind Word / Our Monument is a creative healing collective founded by activist and public artist Ann Lewis. The overarching project is committed to actualizing a world bereft of sexual and gender-based violence by creating inspiring public spaces for healing and education, through creative collaboration with survivors. A Kind Word is the first of many local monuments within the Our Monument project that will build bridges between survivor communities across the country, ultimately coalescing to create a national monument honoring the resiliency and strength of survivors of sexual violence through community building and healing.

We hosted our first cohort of survivors in a 3-day creative healing session in Esopus, NY during the summer of 2021. Several months later they shared their ideas for a world free from sexual violence in a series of brainstorming sessions. These courageous women found strength in one another through art-making, contemplation and conversation. Celebrating their bravery and showing gratitude for the trust they placed in the Our Monument project, A Kind Word reflects their mutual compassion for one another and takes a step closer to a safer, more compassionate, and just world.

Artist: Ann Lewis

Negative Space: Artist Representation, Public Art Project Management, Engagement Strategy and On-Site Program Support

Learn more at annlew.is