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Notice: Donna Ferrato's presentation has been canceled for October 8 because of a family emergency. Her appearance has been rescheduled for Tuesday, October 27, at 7:30 p.m. in the Kresge Town Hall.


September 28, 1998

Photojournalist to present multimedia show about domestic violence

By Jennifer McNulty

Photojournalist Donna Ferrato

Photojournalist Donna Ferrato will present her powerful multimedia show about domestic violence on Thursday, October 8, at 7:30 p.m., at UCSC. The event, which will be held in the Kresge Town Hall, commemorates Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It is free and open to the public. A panel discussion and book signing will follow the presentation.

Ferrato's presentation, "When Love Hurts: A Visual Journey into Violence and Relationships," features slides and music. For more than 15 years, Ferrato has documented the abuse of women and children by the ones they love with the goal of exposing and preventing such abuse. Over the years, she has been granted unprecedented access to hospitals, women's shelters, support and therapy groups, women in prison for killing their husbands and lovers in self-defense, and the homes of victims.

The experience of witnessing a self-made millionaire and father of five beating his wife began what Ferrato describes as a "lifelong mission to explore and understand violence committed in the name of love. With my camera I've tried to throw a light on what was America's best kept secret--violence in relationships."

Ferrato is a New York-based photojournalist whose work has appeared in such publications as Life, USA Today, the New York Times, and twice on the cover of Time. The White House used her photographs in a national ad campaign addressing domestic violence and welfare reform. She is the author of Living with the Enemy and founder of Domestic Abuse Awareness, Inc., the nation's only visual archive on the subject of domestic violence, which raises funds and helps educate the public about domestic violence.

Last year, law enforcement responded to 799 domestic violence-related calls in Santa Cruz County, according to the Walnut Avenue Women's Center.

Ferrato's appearance is being sponsored by the UCSC Women's Center, Women's Crisis Support, the Santa Cruz Commission for the Prevention of Violence Against Women, UCSC Community Development and Health Services, Kresge College, Stevenson College, and College Eight. For more information, call (831) 459-2291.


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