I started with a question. How can I transform severe trauma into something positive, not only for myself but for others who have suffered similarly?

Though 50 yrs later emerged as a conceptually driven art project based upon my life story, and includes a brief autobiography, further augmented through extant photographs, drawings, paintings, and sculpture, it soon evolved into something more. Fueled by literature, academic and journalistic, plus Justice Department statistics, I began considering other forums for presenting my work beyond venues traditionally commonplace to artists, like teaching in the Honors Collegium at UCLA, as well as lecturing to audiences in the United States and Europe. My goal, ultimately, is to probe into the hinterlands of trauma through my art, lectures, and writing, to help inform effective treatment strategies for victims, as well as to rally further support for preventing and prosecuting this horrendous crime.

Tania L. Abramson, MFA
Lecturer, UCLA Honors Collegium