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Justice Arts Coalition

A national network and resource for those creating art in and around the criminal legal system.

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Annual Report 2022

View report as full screen PDF

Learn more about CorrespondARTS, the pARTner Project, and ArtLinks. Check out our Recording Project

Institute for the Development of Human Arts
“Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration”
Unchained Stories
End the Exception

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PO Box 11065
Takoma Park, MD 20913
info@thejusticeartscoalition.org

justiceartsorg

Community, resources, and opportunities for artists creating in and around the US carceral system.

Justice Arts Coalition
☀️ JAC Artist Spotlight: Greg Bolden☀️ Gr ☀️ JAC Artist Spotlight: Greg Bolden☀️ Greg Bolden (@bold_n_art_llc) was recently featured in a @washingtoncitypaper article on his artistic practice. He writes, “You can expect me to continue to create art that expresses my identity and to introduce Black themes into American modernism. To portray my experiences and spontaneity in my art as well as inspire and evoke thought. I am emBOLDeNed to emerge from the ashes of ignorance, poverty, crime and desecration that once choked my very existence, into a vital force that will contribute to art, change and the uplifting of humanity.” He lists Jean-Michel Basquiat, Henri Matisse, and Harry Ellis (@harry.ellis.creations.llc), another artist in the JAC network, as sources of inspiration. View Greg’s portfolio at the artist portfolios link in our bio! If you are interested in purchasing Greg’s art and learning more about his practice, visit his website at bold-n-art.sqare.site. #GregBolden #ArtForJustice #Basquiat #VanGogh #JusticeArtsCoalition #ArtistSpotlight #ArtistPortfolio
Justice Arts Coalition extends a huge congratulati Justice Arts Coalition extends a huge congratulations to Jesse Krimes (@jesse_krimes), Russell Craig (@r.craig.t1), and all involved in the launch of the Center for Art & Advocacy. Building on the Right of Return Fellowship (@rightofreturnusa) which was founded by Krimes and Craig in 2016, the Center supports directly impacted artists at every stage of their careers through expanded fellowships, workshops, and masterclasses, and a new residency program that will open in 2024. Its new headquarters featuring a gallery and venue space will open this fall in Brooklyn. Thank you to @art4justicefund and @mellonfoundation for continuing to support projects that center and uplift system-impacted artists! #centerforartandadvocacy #artforjusticefund #mellonfoundation #rightofreturn #artforjustice #justiceartscoalition
☀️ JAC Artist Spotlight: J. Scott ☀️ J. S ☀️ JAC Artist Spotlight: J. Scott ☀️ J. Scott is a prolific artist in JAC’s community. Drawing inspiration from cowboys, cars, and the people around him, Scott uses art as a tool to envision his future and freedom. He writes, “My inspiration in painting is the freedom it brings me here in prison. It's an effective form of escapism. Painting and developing my talent always provides a drive and a vision for my future. I plan to use the skills developed now to create artwork when I get home that, perhaps, will be appreciated by art fans and the general public as well.” View more of J. Scott’s art at the artist portfolio link in our bio! #ArtistSpotlight #HealingArt #RestorativeJustice #HealingJustice #Abolition #PrisonAbolition #EndMassIncarceration #JusticeArtsCoalition #CarArt #PortraitArt #Painting
The May Gallery of the Month, Green Gallery, addre The May Gallery of the Month, Green Gallery, addresses the intertwined nature of mass incarceration and climate change. Mass incarceration’s subsistence requires industrial development in order to produce new prisons and maintain existing ones, which ultimately leads to increases in fossil fuel emissions. In fact, 32% of state and federal prisons are located within three miles of federal Superfund sites, highly contaminated areas which increase the rate of serious illnesses such as cancer to those in their proximity. The intention of this month’s gallery is to highlight the ways in which the artists in our network imagine natural environments through their work. The art included in this gallery ranges from depictions of people socializing within landscapes, blossoming plants, to abstract odes to the natural environment. In engaging with this work, we hope that you are able to reflect on the role of the prison industry in accelerating climate change and better understand the serious implications this has for people on the inside. Check out the gallery at the link in our bio! Art credits, clockwise from top left: “We, the Unbound,” HOC Mural Project at Suffolk County House of Correction “Untitled,” Dani Douglas “Redwood Canopy,” Conor Broderick “Waterfall-1,” Angel Miranda “Swamp Monster,” Danny Ashton #OnlineGallery #ArtGallery #ClimateChange #ClimateJustice #HealingJustice #ArtForJustice #JusticeArt #AbolishPrisons #EndMassIncarceration #RestorativeJustice #GalleryoftheMonth
In our latest blog post, “The Art of Redemption, In our latest blog post, “The Art of Redemption,” guest writer Anne Bocchini Kirsch writes about the redemptive power of art and writing. Kirsch is a graduate of CorrespondARTS program at Maryland Correctional Institution – Women (MCI-W), a collaboration between JAC, @voicesunbarred, @carienquiroga and @hatless67, supported by @mdartscouncil. She was released in 2022 and continued her collaborative work in parole advocacy with PREPARE, an organization that seeks to draw state agencies, community organizations, and justice-impacted people together to facilitate rehabilitation, parole success and positive reentry. She believes that everybody is capable of redemption, and wants to invite the world to witness the transformations she’s seen firsthand. Read the post at the blog link in our bio! #BlogPost #NewBlog #JusticeArtsCoalition #Blog #HealingArt #RestorativeJustice #TransformativeJustice #ArtForJustice #CreativeWriting
Check out the newest JAC blog, “Conversation Amo Check out the newest JAC blog, “Conversation Among Trees,” at the blog link in our bio! Recently, JAC had the privilege to speak with Tim Reed and @spoonjackson. Spoon is an award-winning author and poet whose artistic projects include everything from zines to podcasts. He is featured in “Tomorrow’s Ken: Portraits of Lives Affected by Incarceration,” the seven-part video series created by Tim Reed, a composer and music professor at Manchester University in Indiana. Read the blog post to learn more about the creative, collaborative process between the two artists! #NewBlog #BlogPost #ArtBlog #SpoonJackson #TimReed #JusticeArtsCoalition #HealingJustice #RestorativeJustice #ArtForJustice #AbolishPrisons
Last week, we hosted our first in-person ArtLinks Last week, we hosted our first in-person ArtLinks event at JAC headquarters! ArtLinks events provide participants with opportunities to view new work by incarcerated artists in Justice Arts Coalition’s network and share their feedback, reflections, and encouragement with the artists through hand-written letters, providing connection and feedback. Stay tuned for announcements regarding upcoming in-person ArtLinks events, and reach out to us if you’d like to host an ArtLinks event for your community! For more information, follow the ArtLinks link in our bio. #ArtLinks #ArtForJustice #DCEvents #MDEvents #TakomaParkEvents #DCArt #JusticeArtsCoalition #LetterWriting #HealingArt #AbolishPrisons #AbolitionistArt #PrisonAbolition
We are just under two weeks away from Mother's Day We are just under two weeks away from Mother's Day- need a gift idea? Support @phillybailout this year by purchasing a poster or shirt from this year’s @peoplespaperco_op Free Our Mothers! Sisters! Queens! series 💕 In 4 years, People’s Paper Co-op has raised over $200,000 to help the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund free Black mothers and caregivers to be home with their loved ones, where they belong. This year, you can help them raise even more! Buy art, free people. Find the link to the People’s Paper Co-op store in our bio! #FreeOurMothers #FreeBlackMamas #BailOut #MothersDay #MothersDayGift #RestorativeJustice #HealingJustice #AbolishPrisons #Abolition #PrisonAbolition #PeoplesPaperCoop #PhillyBailOut
Celebrating the opening of @marking_time_art and a Celebrating the opening of @marking_time_art and all of its phenomenal artists — including many of our JAC friends — at @schomburgcenter! If you’re in NYC, don’t miss it!
Come join us for our first in-person ArtLinks even Come join us for our first in-person ArtLinks event in our headquarter space! ArtLinks events, held both in person and online, provide participants with opportunities to view new work by incarcerated artists in Justice Arts Coalition (JAC)’s network and share their feedback, reflections, and encouragement with the artists through hand-written letters, with the hopes to provide connection and feedback. The event includes an artwork display, letter writing instructions, and time to construct responses. You do not need to be an artist to participate! We hope that you’ll join us for our first at-home ArtLinks! Register today at the link in our bio🌟 *Registration includes a suggested donation ticket. #DCEvents #DCEvent #TakomaParkEvent #MDEvent #ArtEvent #ArtLinks #JusticeArtsCoalition #ArtForJustice #AbolishPrisons #HealingJustice #tkpk #dcart
On Monday night, Justice Arts Coalition hosted an On Monday night, Justice Arts Coalition hosted an ArtLinks event at Gallaudet University. After viewing artworks created by JAC network artists, participants shared their feedback, reflections, and encouragement with the artists through hand-written letters, which JAC will send off to the artists. Participants also listened to an artist talk by Conor Broderick with live sign language interpretation. Thank you @gallaudetu for having us! JAC is currently running private ArtLinks events tailored for student and community groups. If you are interested in bringing an ArtLinks event to your classroom or group, whether online or in person (if in the DC area) please email ava@thejusticeartscoalition.org. #ArtLinks #GallaudetUniversity #GallaudetU #ArtsProgramming #ArtsEvent #JusticeArtsCoalition #ArtForJustice #HealingJustice #HealingArt
We are so proud to share with you all our 2021-22 We are so proud to share with you all our 2021-22 annual report! Our growth would not have been possible without the time, support, and contributions of our community. We hope you take a moment to reflect on the past year and learn about our exciting plans for the year ahead. Check out the annual report at the link in our bio! Art credits: Slide 1: Jesse Kruze, “Untitled” Slide 2: Chris Trigg, “Untitled” Slide 4: Aimee Wissmann, “Public Property” Slide 5: Enrico Miguel Thomas, “The New York Philharmonic” Slide 6: Lawrence Smith, “Tehachapi Prison” Jon Jay Arnold, “Shipping on the Long Island Sound” #AnnualReport #JusticeArtsCoalition #ArtForJustice #HealingJustice #RestorativeJustice #AbolitionistArt #PrisonAbolition #AbolishPrisons
Whether you're looking for something sweet or some Whether you're looking for something sweet or something savory, our April Gallery of the Month has it all. The gallery reflects upon the experience of food in prison through the work of the artists in our network, bearing witness to just a taste of the nostalgia associated with food and its significance. You can join us on this culinary journey by visiting the link in our bio. The right to nutrition has been stripped from incarcerated people. The @impactjustice national assessment found that 62% of formerly incarcerated respondents "rarely or never had access to fresh fruits or vegetables." The Maryland Food and Abolition Project @foodandabolition seeks to improve the quality of food in prisons and is a great resource for those interested in learning more. #GalleryoftheMonth #OnlineGallery #WebGallery #ArtGallery #JusticeArtsCoalition #ArtForJustice #PrisonAbolition
Justice Arts Coalition is looking to fill four new Justice Arts Coalition is looking to fill four new part-time positions this month: Programs Assistant, Programs Intern, Development Assistant, and Communications Intern. These positions are primarily in-person, based in our HQ in Takoma Park, MD. EDIT 4/19: Applications for Programs Assistant are now closed. The Development Assistant application will remain open to applicants until April 22nd, and both Intern roles will remain open until May 1. Read the full job descriptions and instructions for applying at the link in our bio! #JobPosting #InternshipPosting #JobListing #Hiring #Internship #TakomaParkJobs #MarylandJobs #ArtForJustice #JusticeArtsCoalition #Abolition
We are pleased to invite you to an inaugural gathe We are pleased to invite you to an inaugural gathering to explore the formation of a national collective — a virtual event to create relationships among artists, arts organizations, and arts practitioners to learn from each other, create shared language, and evolve an ecosystem for progress as our society works for non-punitive responses to harm. This gathering is a shared initiative between Justice Arts Coalition (JAC) and the Arts Justice Safety Coalition (AJSC). In the words of Ruth Wilson Gilmore, "abolition is about presence, not absence." We rely on each other in this work and cannot maximize the power of the arts in our movement towards abolition without broader synergy. We invite you to join this first meeting where we can discuss new ways of gathering and sharing resources, contribute ideas, and offer feedback to identity goals for a national collective. Register for the virtual convening via the link in our bio! #NationalCollective #Coalition #CoalitionBuilding #NationalCoalition #Collaboration #ArtForJustice #HealingArt #VirtualCoalition #JusticeArtsCoalition #PrisonAbolition
JAC Network artist Conor Broderick writes, “Art JAC Network artist Conor Broderick writes, “Art is a pathway to expressions of thought and emotions that permit me to feel hope in times of grey. I created my own space to walk along a tree covered path backlit by the sun, on a cold autumn morning…” In his most recent post on the JAC blog, Conor describes art as a sanctuary and pathway through difficult times. 🎨 Read Conor’s guest blog post, “Pathways” at the link in our bio! Artwork: “Twilight” by Conor Broderick #BlogPost #ArtBlog #NewBlog #Artivism #ArtForJustice #HealingArt #JusticeArt #JusticeArtsCoalition #Watercolor #Painting #AbolishPrisons
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