Awakenings: See. Heal. Hear.Your artistic healing journey begins here
Awakenings provides survivors of sexual violence with a trauma-informed, inclusive art-making experience that empowers their healing journey.
At Awakenings we create a trauma-informed environment for survivors to practice creating art. Take a tour with us and then come to an open studio or a workshop.
Find your voice through creative expression
We provide free, accessible art programs where survivors process trauma through creative, non-verbal expression, a vital resource that remains incredibly scarce.
Find strength through art and community
We offer non-clinical healing art workshops without expectations or judgment. You don’t need art skills. All you need is a willingness to try.
Our community celebrates every voice, identity, and story. Whether you’re creating your first artwork or returning to a long-lost practice, you belong here.
Cohort
A multi-week healing experience where survivors create, reflect, and build deep bonds that often last long after the program ends. Includes weekly workshops, open studio time, a stipend, and a final gallery showcase celebrating each participant’s work.
Open studio
A low-pressure space to drop in, create freely, and connect with others at your own comfort level.
Workshops
Our guided workshops explore specific themes and topics and empower survivors to access healing in their most difficult moments.
You don’t have to be great, or even good, at making art to experience the benefits
Our community witnesses transformation through creative expression every day, where healing happens brush stroke by brush stroke.
“By the end of the Cohort, I found myself not being attached to outcome, but rather engrossed in the moment of creation.
The entire expanse of expression, being fully present with myself and discovering new depths of myself was the craft.”
“I have been able to learn from and find solace and healing in the voices and art of other survivors of sexual abuse and violence.
Awakenings is such a valuable organization in terms of providing a platform for survivors’ voices and empowerment.”
Stay connected with Awakenings
Join our mailing list to get thoughtful resources, workshop announcements, and gentle reminders about upcoming opportunities to connect with fellow survivors through art.
A healing space where art transforms trauma
Our community stands on these foundations:
- Inclusivity: Sexual violence affects people of all backgrounds, ages, and identities.
- Survivor-leadership: Our programs are shaped by survivors at every level.
- The Healing Capacity of Art: Creative expression opens pathways when traditional methods fall short.
- Trauma-informed Commitment: Your safety matters in every brush stroke, every word, every moment.
- Land Acknowledgment: We honor the Indigenous peoples whose land we occupy as we build this healing community.
our partners
Every contribution helps create safer spaces
Every volunteer hour, donation, or moment of support strengthens our community of survivors.
For 14 years, Awakenings has nurtured safe spaces both in our sunlit Chicago studio and online. Your generosity plants seeds of healing that reach survivors everywhere.
Survivor Stories
Healing stories from our community
Every artwork, poem, and story created here helps illuminate paths for others. Our blog shares these beacons of hope and raw honesty, honoring each unique voice and experience in the journey toward healing.
An editorial with Megan Otto Rest We’d like to share with our Awakenings community that The Nightingale is taking a hiatus. We’re pausing this project,
- Prose
What if we imagined what we usually call “healing” as “building” or “rebuilding?” Ania Garcia suggests and analyzes this shift in language by imagining survivors
- Essay
Marieken Cochius is a prolific visual artist, deeply inspired by the natural world around her. A painter, sculptor, and photographer, Marieken is an expert in
- Interview
Create, connect, & heal
Find your place in our circle of creators, where every artistic choice is valid and every emotion is welcome. Healing isn’t linear, nor a path you have to walk alone.