Public Art Project to End Rape in Los Angeles NR12020bb

Los Angeles:   A public art project displayed in front of the Deaton Auditorium will map rapes committed in the City of Los Angeles over a three week period in January to raise awareness about the ongoing need to fight sexual assault and rape.

On January 12, 2012, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Chief Charlie Beck, artist Suzanne Lacy, L.A.C.E. (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions) and rape advocacy groups held a news conference to mark the first day of the "Three Weeks in January" with a  public performance art project to raise awareness about the ongoing need to fight sexual assault and rape.
“Three Weeks in January” is a public performance art project by artist Suzanne Lacy, presented by LACE, recreating key aspects of “Three Weeks in May” (1977) art project exposing the rapes in Los Angeles during a three week period in May 1977 and depicting every incidence on a map of the City. January 12 will be the first day of marking rape statistics on the map.

The City’s 2011 year-end crime statistics showed a significant reduction in rape cases yet rape and sexual assault continue to have a devastating impact on the women and men in our City.  For more information about the project, visit www.threeweeksinjanury.org.