El Tendedero/ The Clothesline Indiana is a participatory artwork by artist and activist Mónica Mayer that transforms the clothesline, a symbol of traditional feminine roles, into a forum for conversation on violence against women. The work was previously exhibited at the Indiana Statehouse in support of Women4Change’s 2019-2020 efforts to define legal consent in Indiana. At the Statehouse, the participatory artwork garnered over 1,500 responses written on pink postcards from all 92 Indiana counties. As part of this reinstallation, guests will be invited to share their experiences with sexual assault and violence. Guests will leave with a better understanding of this pervasive issue as well as an understanding of how personal stories promoted legislative change in Indiana. The exhibition will be on view in the Davis Lab on Floor 2 from November 18, 2022, until September 13, 2023.
Some content in this display discusses sexual assault and may include language of a sensitive and/or emotionally upsetting nature. Please take care of yourself and engage or disengage as you feel necessary. A handout with a list of hotline numbers and crisis centers in Indiana is available below.
Mónica Mayer, artist (Mexican, b. 1954) and Women4Change Indiana, collaborator (American), Installation view of El Tendedero/The Clothesline Indiana, conceived 1978, activated 2019–2020, clothesline, wood, pink bond paper, various dimensions. Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, Gift of the Artist, Women4Change Indiana, and Ann M. Stack, 2020.195 © Mónica Mayer. Photo by Samantha McCain Veach.
