Portraits of Justice is a daylong symposium that will engage the public in reimagining the criminal justice system through the lens of art, advocacy, and policy reform. A diverse and robust roster of directly impacted artists, practitioners, government officials, and scholars will host a series of discussions to reflect upon local reform efforts, as well as engaging with the national dialogue that highlights strategic arts-based approaches to criminal justice reform.

Portraits of Justice is produced by Mural Arts Philadelphia and Nicole Fleetwood, Associate Professor American Studies, Rutgers University and funded by the Art for Justice Fund, a recently launched initiative founded by Agnes Gund in collaboration with the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.

The project is in collaboration with the City of Philadelphia’s MacArthur Foundation-supported Safety and Justice Challenge initiative. Partners include Philadelphia’s Criminal Justice Partners: City of Philadelphia, First Judicial District, District Attorney, and Defender Association as well as the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice and School of Design.

The symposium is the culmination of month-long programming, including a public art project, a new fellowship program, and a series of public performances. The work of Reimagining Reentry Fellow Luis Suave Gonzales will be on display.

Registration is free and open to the public. Complimentary lunch will be provided.

Symposium Schedule

9–9:30 a.m. Registration.
Luis Suave Gonzales paintings on display

9:30–10 a.m. IBRAHIM THEATER
Welcome | Jane Golden (Executive Director, Mural Arts Philadelphia),  John Jackson (Dean of of the School of Social Policy and Practice), President Judge Woods-Skipper, The Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas
Film Screening | LABELS (15 min.) a film by multimedia artist Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter

10–10:45 a.m. IBRAHIM THEATER
Opening Conversation: Criminal Law and Art
Moderator | Erica Atwood (CEO of First Degree Consulting, LLC; National Director of the Black & Brown Gun Violence Prevention Consortium)
Speakers | Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, Reginald Dwayne Betts (Poet and PhD Law Candidate, Yale University), Jesse Krimes (Artist), Bill Cobb (Deputy Director, ACLU Campaign for Smart Justice)

11 a.m.–12:15 p.m. Morning Breakout Session

Panel A: Public Advocacy and the Reform Effort in Philadelphia | ASIA ROOM
Moderator | Michael O’Bryan, Urban Innovation Fellow, Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation, Drexel University
Panelists | Julie Wertheimer (Chief of Staff, Managing Director’s Office of Criminal Justice, City of Philadelphia), Josh Glenn (Co-Director, Youth Art & Self-Empowerment Project), Michael Bouchard (Director of Pretrial Services, City of Philadelphia), Dawan Williams (Guild Coordinator, Mural Arts Philadelphia)

Panel B: Incarcerated Arts and Public Engagement | SOUTH AMERICAN ROOM
Moderator | Nicole Fleetwood (Associate Professor of American Studies, Rutgers University)
Panelists | Jym Baker (Reentry Think Tank), Courtney Bowles (The People’s Paper Co-Op), Bonnie Kerness (American Friends Service Committee) Ojore Lutalo (Artist and Activist).

12:15–1:45 p.m. Keynote / Lunch | IBRAHIM THEATER
Presentation | Jane Golden (Executive Director, Mural Arts Philadelphia)
Keynote | Tyra Patterson and David Singleton (Ohio Justice Policy Center)

1:45–2:30 p.m. My First and Last Chance: A Conversation with Luis Suave Gonzales | IBRAHIM THEATER
Moderator | Brian O’Neill, Associate Professor, West Chester University
Speakers | Luis Suave Gonzales (Director of NuStop Resource Center, Muralist, Writer, Community Activist), Cynthia Link (Former Superintendent of Graterford State Correctional Institution) Dr. Ron Hill, Visiting Professor, American University.

2:45–4 p.m. Afternoon Breakout Sessions

Panel C: The Role of Storytelling to Drive Policy Change | ASIA ROOM
Moderator | Rachael Eisenberg (Project Manager, MacArthur Foundation Safety and Justice Challenge, Managing Director’s Office of Criminal Justice, City of Philadelphia)
Panelists | Sue Ellen Allen (Founder, Reinventing Reentry),  Mark Houldin (Policy Director, Defender Association of Philadelphia), Jon Kaufman & El Sawyer (Co-Founders, MING Media), Shontina Vernon (Theater Artist and Filmmaker).

Panel D: Art, African American History, and Criminal Justice Reform | SOUTH AMERICAN ROOM
Moderator | Li Sumpter (Founder and Creative Director, Myth Media Studios)
Panelists | Mary Baxter (Multi-media Artist and Activist),  Russell Craig (Artist), Ndume Olatushani (Artist and Activist),

4:15–5 p.m. IBRAHIM THEATER
Introduction | Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney
Closing Keynote | Albert Woodfox (Prison Reform Activist)

Portraits of Justice is funded by the The Art for Justice Fund, a recently launched initiative founded by Agnes Gund in collaboration with the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. The project is in collaboration with the City of Philadelphia’s MacArthur Foundation-supported Safety and Justice Challenge initiative. Partners include Philadelphia’s Criminal Justice Partners: City of Philadelphia, First Judicial District, District Attorney, and Defender Association as well as the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice and School of Design.