‘On Our Way’ at Chandler Inspiring

Pictured (l-r) are SafeArt ensemble members Jo Jo Trottier, Chelsea Palin, John Earls, Tracy Penfield, Amadea Cesari, Tess Holbrook, Nathalie Trottier.

The SafeArt ensemble performed at the Chandler Music Hall in Randolph Thursday, Jan. 18 to an appreciative crowd.

SafeArt, an organization based in Chelsea, uses performance, workshops and trauma-informed healing sessions to empower and inform both teens and adults, men and women who may have experienced abuse or trauma in their lives.

Their most recent performance, "On Our Way…Surviving Abuse in Orange County," was performed by six Orange County teens and SafeArt’s founder and director Tracy Penfield. It incorporated new pieces recently created during a SafeArt residency at Randolph Union High School.

After an emotional performance that utilized dance, poetry and song to portray the many ways that abuse manifests itself in our lives, the lights came up and performers initiated a dialog with the audience. Wink Willett, chairman of Chandler's Gallery Committee, praised the strength and courage of the performers and said he was determined to make this an annual event.

The audience was encouraged to visit the Chandler Gallery where artwork of many genres adorned the walls from Thursday through Sunday exhibiting expressions of pain, hope and courage that spoke out against violence and abuse, insisting that all of us can make Orange County a safer place to live.

"On Our Way..." was sponsored by the Orange County Domestic and Sexual Violence Task Force. For more information about the Task Force or SafeArt, contact the Task Force Coordinator Laura Davidson ljd@sover.net or 802-272-5230.

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