Human Trafficking Awareness in Marion County at Saint Leo University, Ocala Education Center

In honor of Human Trafficking Awareness Month, MCA in partnership with Grace Episcopal Church and Highlands Baptist Church will be hosting a special art installation during the January First Friday Art Walk. On the evening of January 3, we will fill cracks between the bricks of the Downtown Square with bright red sand to create a visual reminder of the millions of people around the world who have fallen through the cracks of our society and become trapped and hidden in slavery. Project developer, experimental New York City-based artist Molly Gochman has said about the project, “I realized that my art could be a tool to help raise awareness of this horrible crime (human trafficking) and the vulnerabilities that lead to exploitation. I’ve always thought that sidewalks cracks were beautiful — they hold a tension between nature and society. Metaphorically here, they symbolize people who are overlooked by society — those who fall through the cracks and are often subject to exploitation.”

The Red Sand Project is a participatory artwork created by Molly Gochman that uses sidewalk interventions and earthwork installations to create opportunities for people to question, connect and take action against vulnerabilities that can lead to human trafficking and exploitation. The International Labour Organization estimates that there are 40.3 million victims of human trafficking globally; 81% of them are trapped in forced labor, 25% of them are children, and 75% are women and girls. The grains represent the men, women, and children enslaved today around the world – and right here in Ocala. #RedSandProject

TO REPORT SUSPECTED HUMAN TRAFFICKING:
Call: 888-373-7888 / Text: 233733

For more information about this event, please contact MCA at 352-369-1500.