Lindsay Keiter was like many students who believed that acts of sexual assault and violence were little more than statistics in a newspaper or numbers in a police log.

Until she became a sexual assault survivor, that is.

Keiter (junior-film, history and women's studies) could not continue her studies after what happened. She took a semester off and returned to Penn State in spring 2003.

"I came back after my own experience, and this issue of sexual violence was on my radar for the first time," she said. "The following semester [fall 2003], there was a wave of sexual assaults, but after that the topic stopped being sensational and almost became normal; this was an unacceptable response."

Motivated by the apathy and her own personal experiences, Keiter proposed a photography exhibit to offer students a "visual, visceral" understanding of sexual violence. She said the exhibit's goal was to put a face and name to the stories and statistics in newspapers.

The exhibit, described by Keiter as a photo narrative, opened yesterday in North Halls and will also open in West Halls Friday. The exhibits will remain open until early December.

Sheri Keller, a Penn State alumna and photographer who contributed to the exhibit, said the photographs provide a rare glimpse into the reality of sexual violence.

"They put viewers into the shoes of women who have actually been raped," she said.

The photographs offer a visual re-enactment of one woman's experience with sexual violence, showing two men restraining the victim by covering her mouth and pushing her to the ground.

"The photographs are meant to convey the suddenness of the events," she added. "It shows how one minute the woman is safe, but in just one minute and without warning, she can be a victim of assault."

Other, more abstract photographs provide a more provocative understanding of the aftermath of sexual violence, Keiter said. Dim lighting and darker atmospheres depict the sense of aloneness, hurt and loss that many women face after an assault, she added.

By bringing a visual face to such a graphic and often uncomfortable topic, Keiter said she hopes to spread sexual assault awareness and activism.

"This exhibit can speak to people who may otherwise feel disconnected or unaffected by sexual violence," she said.

The original idea for the exhibit came to Keiter while taking Communications, Arts and Sciences 498D (Private Lives, Public Voices), which encourages students to explore the intersection between the arts and issues of social injustice.

Dora McQuaid, who won the state's Governor's Pathfinder Award for her advocacy on behalf of sexual violence victims, taught the class and said she thinks Keiter's incorporation of visual art with personal narrative is a powerful choice.

"Usually, discussions on such issues as domestic and sexual violence become very intellectualized," McQuaid said. "We see statistics, we see educational brochures, but we very rarely hear the personal stories of victimization and the healing process that will hopefully follow."

She added that Keiter's exhibit could remind students that there are "flesh-and-blood people" behind the numbers thrown around when dealing with sexual violence.

"Victims and survivors are so rarely heard," she said. "But when people do share their emotional experiences, we can deal with sexual violence holistically and work to develop a community where each personal experience is honored."

Kate Berardi (freshman-animal bioscience) said it was interesting to see sexual violence from another perspective.

"Making things visual can really have a strong impact, much more than just talking about issues can," she said.