Nitya Mehrotra, left, an artist programming assistant at Urban Gateways, helps works with student Dejah Ajavi on an audio recording during a media arts class on June 25, 2024, in Chicago. Mehrotra is graduate student at School of the Art Institute of Chicago who founded an online support community called “Stories by Strangers” that lets survivors of mental and sexual abuse share their narratives in their own way.

Photo Credit: Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune

Grad Student Nitya Mehrotra Uses Animation to Support Abuse Survivors

By Sophia Carmen Salganicoff, MFA Candidate

In a Chicago Tribune feature, School of the Art Institute of Chicago graduate student Nitya Mehrotra details starting Stories by Strangers, an online platform for abuse survivors to share their stories anonymously. Mehrotra collaborates closely with contributors, offering customization of their animated characters which empowers them to take control of their narratives.

Nitya Mehrotra, 23, an artist programming assistant at Urban Gateways, sketches on her iPad on June 25, 2024, in Chicago.

Photo Credit: Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune

These animations often feature abstract figures that survivors can personalize, with changing colors or added features like horns. Since 2023, Mehrotra’s Stories by Strangers has grown to a community with over 2,000 submissions and 44,000 followers on Instagram. Mehrotra emphasizes the importance of authenticity and support, responding to each submission with resources and outreach.

Student Nitya Mehrotra’s Animations Give a Voice to Victims

With her Stories by Strangers project, student Nitya Mehrotra uses her skills as an artist to tell the stories of sexual and mental abusive survivors.

Student Nitya Mehrotra’s Animations Give a Voice to Victims