White Snake Projects: Virtual Opera

by Absa Fall, JAC Intern White Snake Projects uses opera to draw attention to critical issues facing our world. They recently announced their upcoming opera entitled "Death by Life", which was created in response to the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. Cerise Jacobs, the company’s Founding Artistic Director and Creator + Librettist …

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“The BOX” Virtual Performance: A Play About Solitary Confinement by Sarah Shourd

by Isa Berliner, JAC Intern On October 1st and 3rd, audiences from around the globe are invited to a live Zoom performance of The BOX, a play about solitary confinement. Written by a survivor, Sarah Shourd, in collaboration with other survivors, The BOX is a story of human connection and resilience — a piece of …

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As the End Comes (a tribute to Alice Walker)

by Mardie Swartz Mardie Swartz has spent 29 years behind bars in Texas. This poem is about the time approaching when she will finally be beyond bars. I remember beginnings – The first time I was molested Sold, abandoned, raped The first drink, snort, shot of Whatever would numb some of the pain. The first …

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Making Meaning: a caged bird sings

by Page Dukes I was released from prison last May, after serving ten years for a crime I committed as a heroin-addicted teenager. I have spoken publicly many times since, about the decisions and circumstances that led me to the criminal justice system. However, at the Art for Justice Forum held at Emory University Law …

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The 2018 New York Art for Justice Forum at Columbia University

by Philip Hall In 2018, the creation and discussion of art is widely acknowledged as a vehicle for social justice. Years ago, such a concept would have been largely ignored. Current tightened state budgets, plummeting crime rates, as well as an examination of mass incarceration, is prompting the investigation and support of art as a …

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