The Clothesline Project

The national network of The Clothesline Project started on Cape Cod, Massachusetts in 1990 to address the issue of violence against women. It is a vehicle for women affected by violence to express their emotions by decorating a shirt. They then hang the shirt on a clothesline to be viewed by others as testimony to the problem of violence against women.

The Iowa City Clothesline Project began in 1995 through the efforts of the Rape Victim Advocacy Program, the Women’s Resource and Action Center, and the Domestic Violence Intervention Program. The Project is displayed in the community at awareness events and by request.

The purpose of The Clothesline Project:

• To bear witness to the survivors as well as the victims of the war against women.
• To help with the healing process for people who have lost a loved one or are survivors of this violence.
• To educate, document, and raise society’s awareness of the extent of the problem of violence against women.
• To provide a nationwide network of support, encouragement and information for other communities starting their own Clothesline Project.

The display consists of shirts designed by women victims/survivors of rape, incest, child sexual abuse, domestic violence, and women attacked because of their sexual orientation. Shirts are also designed by friends and family to honor women who have died at the hands of abusers.

T-Shirt Color Code:

• White: women who have died because of violence.
• Yellow and Beige: battered or assaulted women.
• Red, Orange and Pink: women survivors of rape or sexual assault.
• Green and Blue: women survivors of incest or child sexual abuse.
• Purple and Lavender: women attacked because of their sexual orientation.

The Sounds:
The visual display is accompanied by sounds to symbolize the rate of violence.

• A gong is struck to indicate a woman being battered. Women are battered every 9 seconds in the U.S.
• The whistle is blown to indicate that someone is raped. Every two minutes in America, someone is sexually assaulted.
• The bell is rung to indicate that a woman has died as a result of gender violence. Every day in America three to four women are killed by a batterer.