To celebrate women, community members gathered to hear various musical acts and view youth artwork during HOPE’s Little Black Dress concert Wednesday in the Tarble Arts Center.

The goal of the event was to raise funds to benefit HOPE’s domestic violence education programs and contribute to improvements to its shelter.

The concert featured five different musical ensembles and an exhibit of artwork by children in HOPE’s domestic violence program.

Art and video projects about domestic violence, body image and teen date abuse were also featured at the event. 

Georgia Hillard, a coordinator at the Sarah Bush Lincoln Health System, said she works with the hospital’s Body Electric program that helped students put together the video projects.

“To me, it’s a program that helps teens understand how to live a healthy lifestyle,” she said.

She said high school students from across the state entered the video contest, and a group she worked with from Paris High School won third place. 

The student art exhibit featured paintings and t-shirts, many of which included facts about abuse.

One t-shirt read, “Abuse looks like love, feels like Hell, sounds like death, life after death, God heals all pain.”

Rosalie Addison, a former member of the HOPE board, said she thinks art is a good outlet for children affected by abuse.

“It’s a great medium, especially for kids because they are so much less inhibited,” she said.

Royce Harrington-Turner, a freshman undecided major, played in a jazz trio during the concert.

Harrington-Turner said he is always looking for opportunities to play in front of people, and playing to help others made the experience even better.

“Entertaining is pretty fun, but it makes you feel good to do something for somebody else,” he said.

Julie Rea, a musician in a later performance, said she met many people to play music with when she studied home economics and counseling at Eastern.

She said creative expression like music, art or writing can help people reach their potential.

“We become more and it broadens our horizons and outlook on life, and we use it to connect with other and inspire them,” she said. 

She said she enjoys seeing audience members laugh or smile so she knows she has made a connection.

Althea Pendergast, the director of HOPE, performed in her band called Motherlode at the end of the evening.

Pendergast said the band has been together for almost 25 years, and they played at the first Women’s History Awareness Month concert 20 years ago.

The group jokingly referred to themselves as “Grandmotherlode” because one of the members recently became a grandmother.

Pendergast said they purposely chose to play songs written by women, such as “I’m a Gray Haired Woman,” and “Daughters and their Sons.”

Pendergast said she hopes the music uplifted a few people, and she hopes to continue the event next year. 

Stephanie Markham can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].