Meet Erin Snethen, 2021 Advocacy through Art Awardee

The 2021 Concealed Revealed Art Auction Awards Honor Local Artist, Volunteer

Erin Snethen, a garment pattern designer for The Sewing Workshop, has been involved with Concealed Revealed and Center for Safety and Empowerment for over 6 years. It all started when she and her husband bought their first piece of art from the Concealed Revealed Art Auction. Soon after, a friend introduced Erin to the art auction planning committee. “You will really connect with these amazing women” she said. From then on Erin started volunteering for Survivor Art Night and Concealed Revealed. Being involved with CSE combines her love of creating art and community. 

"I wholeheartedly believe that working with your hands and creating art can be healing for everyone. To be able to foster and facilitate that creativity was an amazing opportunity."

 If you missed the April 17 Concealed Revealed Art Auction, read about it here, and watch the video replay to hear more about Patti and our other honorees.

Learn more about Erin through the Volunteer Questionnaire

1. Why do you care about this work?I wholeheartedly believe that working with your hands and creating art can be healing for everyone. To be able to foster and facilitate that creativity was an amazing opportunity.
2. Why do you feel connected to YWCA’s mission?The word dignity really stands out to me. To show others respect and to honor them, what a feeling when you’re the recipient! When you feel like others value your opinions in their actions and their words, it’s amazing. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen. So to have an organization that is dedicated to that act - to ensure that everyone feels valued - that is a powerful contributor to a community.
3. What gives you hope when engaging in victim/survivor advocacy?The engagement with others in the community, seeing others so connected to one another - wanting to help each other - is powerful. Everyone can contribute, no matter how small, to something that betters the community asa whole.
4. What does resilience mean to you?No matter who you are, things will happen in your life that you have to overcome and you have to have the strength to adapt and recover. While resilience means to adapt well or quickly, I don’t find that should always be the case. You can be resilient but take time to heal, recover and come out the other side. Allowing our hearts and minds time to heal is essential and shows great self awareness.
5. What motivates you to keep going in victim/survivor advocacy after so many years?When I did volunteer during Art Nights at CSE, the interaction with the group was amazing. To talk, laugh, create and share with others is powerful. And to use your gifts to help others is something I encourage everyone to do, no matter how small the contribution, you can make an impact.
6. What does a world without violence look like?A string of thoughts and key words run through my head when I think about a world without violence. The main idea is communities working together which includes: thinking about what it’s like to be in another shoes, thinking abouthow to contribute, no matter how small, to better my community and the people in it, caring - walking through life caring about the people you interact with. Instead of worrying about what you can get or achieve, thinking about how you can work with other people to achieve a better life for your entire community. It all comes down to empathy.