Voices: Art and Writing Come Together to Spotlight Mass Incarceration

Mural Arts’ new Restorative Justice project, Voices, will kick off with a livestream event inside SCI Graterford.

Voices will run through spring 2017 and will feature action-oriented programming, a docented pop-up exhibit, and a culminating mural, all aimed at calling attention to and mobilizing people around issues within the criminal justice system. The project gives voice to those who have not been fully heard in the dialogue on current topics within the reform movement. Utilizing programming and public art, we hope to further the discussion around mass incarceration by highlighting concrete issues and policies identified by those most affected.

Dr. Baz Dreisinger, writer and professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and two nationally recognized artists, Hank Willis Thomas and Jesse Krimes, will exhibit artwork that builds upon on themes expressed through workshops with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated men and women. The pop-up exhibit will feature writing by people imprisoned around the world, and a number of citywide cultural events will take place between March and June 2017, including community discussions, book readings, film screenings, and more.

The November 30 kickoff event will feature voices of incarcerated individuals, live readings from Dresinger and from Shaka Senghor, a former convict, college lecturer, author, and director’s fellow of the MIT Media Lab. CLICK HERE FOR LIVESTREAM