FORCE: Upsetting Rape Culture was founded in 2010 to generate a more difficult and honest conversation about sexual violence. The collective’s work challenges people to face the realities and root causes of sexual violence, while envisioning a world where sex is empowering and pleasurable rather than coercive and violent. FORCE is nationally known for producing large-scale public art actions that generate media attention and capture the public imagination. Their projects have been covered by dozens of news outlets, including The New York Times, Fast Company, CNN, MSNBC and NPR.

FORCE is led by co-founders Hannah Brancato and Rebecca Nagle alongside staff members Saida Agostini and Shanti Flagg -- each a creative activist, educator and artist. The Monument Quilt is guided by a Leadership Team, comprised of 30 people from intersecting disciplines, including the arts, LGBTQ activism, social work, counseling, academic research, antiviolence work, philanthropy, and racial justice organizing. FORCE also coordinates Gather Together, a collective of survivors developing interventions and campaigns focused on the collective's hometown, Baltimore.

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Featured Image: To Be Heard, 2016. Red fabric, paint, survivors of sexual and domestic violence. Courtesy of the artist.

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