“Three weeks in May” (1977) Suzanne Lacy

Suzanne Lacy is an American artist, writer and educator who uses public art, video and performance to express her views, and that of others, on social issues and injustice in past and modern-day America. She began to become a cult figure as an artist and activist in the 1970s. This piece, “Three Weeks in May” was a detailed encapsulation made between May 8th and May 24th in 1977 in Los Angeles which focused on a variety of reported sexual misconduct and sexual assault crimes committed and not perused or acted on by law or other within the city in said timeframe. Lacy collected reports from police and in doing so came up with a stark and striking piece of urban art of the time. Simply using the word “RAPE” and printing it on a map relative to the various incidents around the area delivers a harsh reality to the world we lived in and still occupy. In addition to the bold red, a faded red stamp was used to detail acts of sexual violence against women in the area. In the weeks after the piece was crafted, Lacy didn’t stop making sure her point would go unnoticed. Whilst preparing to exhibit this piece in a gallery, Lacy found herself inspired to bring the work to the streets where the violence occurred daily in the hope of garnering more attention to the serious issues that were happening.
As a woman, I myself have experienced times where I have been treated differently because of my gender and find this to be a very powerful piece. Not only I but many friends and family who are women experiencing the same thing. Times when you’ve felt helpless and or scared. Art like this really speaks to me because it reminds me that there are people out there fighting, making statements and not staying quiet.