About the artist…

“To shatter the silence and give voice to the unspoken…”

Local artist, Whitney Allen, is a former foster mother, and graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Fine Arts. Her advocacy for child sexual abuse grew while she and her family fostered through OKDHS.

“We never knew that the number of sexual abuse cases in Oklahoma were so high, until the children in our care were affected. When someone you love becomes a statistic, your passion seems to rise to a whole new level.”

Knowing that she had a voice, Allen began to speak out. As her conversations widened, so did the realization that many other families had hidden secrets from their own childhood that they carried with them into adulthood. This “Baggage” became evident and the goal for The Baggage Movement was born; to shatter that silence and give voice to the unspoken.

“After my child’s boundaries were crossed at a young age, in a pre-school setting, by people we entrusted our children to, our world was shattered. I lived every single day burdened. I carried it with me, worried about how we would live with this “BAGGAGE.” Thankfully, my friends wouldn’t let me stay there, and they encouraged me with the words, “This will not be BAGGAGE! It will be bold, beautiful, and it will be worn well…with leopard print and all!”

I had to believe that there could be beauty from these ashes. Those women had stories from their own past they had overcome, and their testimonies led me to find hope in the brokenness. From that moment, I knew that anyone willing to open up and silence the shame, could find freedom and promise and hope for the future, just as my friends had led me to find.”

From that strength, Allen found that normalizing the socially taboo conversation seemed to break down walls.

“Shame lives in silence. I create art that makes people speak up about that silence. Your burdens don’t steal your value, and the drips and spills along the way don’t ruin your canvas because YOU ARE A MASTERPIECE!”

“The Joseph story is available for every soul. With faith, we trust that beauty can come from the ashes.

After Joseph was abused and sold into slavery, by his own family, God used him in his brokenness. As I read his final statement, it felt like our story, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many.” (Genesis 50:20)”

“If just one life is changed through this art, through these stories, and through our conversations…then it’s all worth it.”

Will you join us?

BAGGAGE

At The Baggage Movement, we're more than artists and leather artisans. We're a passionate community creating exceptional art that sparks dialogue around an overwhelmingly hushed topic, broken body boundaries. Join us to embrace the transformative power of art and create a compassionate, informed, and accepting society.

Meticulously hand-crafted in Oklahoma, USA, from the finest quality leather, these works are more than visually striking pieces. As Baggage travels, every piece sends a powerful message, a call to action for social change. Whether it’s giving voice to education, prompting self-growth, or wearing it in honor of those living with baggage from boundary violations, your bag will spark thought-provoking conversations wherever you go.

When you invest in a piece of Baggage, you acquire an original artwork, signed by the artist. Every piece holds a cohesive look within the collection, and like our own life stories, no two will ever be identical.

Carry Freedom: Baggage that Unburdens

With every purchase, you contribute directly to boundary education programs in our community such as “STOP, GO & TELL” whose mission includes teaching age-appropriate boundary rules and safety to school aged children, as well as NCSBY whose focus is the wellbeing of youth/their families, healing from body boundary violations.
Join the movement and make a statement with Baggage- let it be your voice, your advocate, your legacy.

Behind the Art

“Our life, like each hand painted piece of art, is designed with many layers, each representing more than what meets the eye.

Each stroke of the artists brush represents a life and a story. Some colors in your story are bold and defined, and others seem more fluid and untamed.

Embrace the imperfections. Recognize these drips, spills and splatters not as a mistake to cover up, but as a mighty brushstroke that neither defines nor diminishes you or your impact on the world.

By doing so, we break the chains that bind up the brokenhearted and, instead, proclaim freedom! You are no longer bound by memories, releasing prisoners from both present and past!

You refuse to let sorrow and defeat define you.