Art Exhibit Shows And Tells The Stories Of Widows

Elle Davis is the author of “The Art of the Bounce Back: 31 Days of Resilient Living.” PHOTO PROVIDED BY APPREYPR.
Elle Davis is the author of “The Art of the Bounce Back: 31 Days of Resilient Living.” PHOTO PROVIDED BY APPREYPR.

Art Exhibit Shows And Tells The Stories Of Widows

By Tia Carol Jones

LaTrice “Elle” Davis believes that everyone has the ability to bounce back from life’s challenges. One of her most frequent social media hashtags is #obstacle2opportunity, because she believes that with every obstacle people face there is an opportunity to do something greater or support someone, even in the midst of those challenges.

Davis, who lost her husband, Paul, 10 years ago on April 16th, has turned that date into something of triumph and part of her testimony. This year, Davis, along with six other widows premiered an art exhibit titled, “Lost Love: A Journey of Resilience,” at FLYPAPER Gallery, located at 10552 S. Western.

The idea for the exhibit came from Davis meeting young widows and knowing no one knew the faces of the young widows and that it wasn’t something that was being talked about. She wanted to dig deeper into these women’s stories and give them the space and platform to tell their stories. The exhibit includes photos, with women smiling, a show of their resilience, as well as those women’s voices as they tell their stories.

“It’s a multidimensional experience where it’s not just that you’re going to see a picture and read a few words, but you also get to hear their voice and even see some special pieces/ mementos that are really personal to each widow and it’s from their personal collection,” she said, describing it as similar to something you would see at a museum.

Davis wanted to tell the full story. She said it is one thing to see someone, but when you hear how they tell their story, you hear the quiver in their voice, the sadness, or the triumph of them knowing they will get through it. She added that, in order to truly understand someone’s full story, you have to hear their voice, along with seeing their face.

Along with the exhibit, there will be programming. Davis wanted to be able to build a sense of community. Because of her social work background, Davis has a care and concern for people. One of the things that got her through her journey was a grief support group. All of the programming is meant to allow people to channel their grief. The programs include a grief support group, which will take place from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, April 25th; a journaling workshop, which will take place from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 2nd; and a floral design session, which will take place from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 9th.

In addition to the exhibit, Davis also has written a book, “The Art of the Bounce Back: 31 Days of Resilient Living.” It was published in September of 2022. She wrote it after doing a 31-day challenge of social media posts.

Davis wants everyone from the community to attend the exhibit, hear the stories, see the faces and engage in conversation of how they can support widows and be better supports in the grieving process as a whole.

“What I want people to walk away with is, seeing the faces of our community of these young Black women, some who are also solo parents, and some did not have children in their marriage, but they have a story to tell as part of a subgroup of the Black community, that we don’t talk about. I want people to ask more questions and ask how they can be more helpful and how they can support,” Davis said. She added that the exhibit just scratches the surface when it comes to showcasing young women in the Black community, but it does tell the stories of some dynamic women.

To RSVP for the art exhibit, visit events.eventnoire.com/e/lostlove. For more information about Elle Davis, visit www.bouncebackcrew.com.

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