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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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PO Box 8261
Silver Spring, MD 20907

info@thejusticeartscoalition.org

the_justice_arts_coalition

Community, opportunities, and resources for artists working in & around carceral settings. Amplifying their voices since 2008.
Silver Spring, MD

Hey! What are you doing this Thursday evening? At

Hey! What are you doing this Thursday evening? At 7 PM, everyone here at the Justice Arts Coalition will be tuned in to @freekennethreams and @biancatylek ’s virtual workshop, and we welcome you to join us. It’ll be the second of three scintillating conversations from Kenny, and this time he and our guest, Bianca Tylek, will be focusing on the transformative role of art in activism. Kenny, who has been incarcerated on death row for the past 27 years, is an amazing activist and artist. Tylek is the Founder & Executive Director of @worthrises , a national criminal justice organization focused on ending the exploitation of the prison industry. So be there or be square - October 29th at 7 PM ET!

Tickets for this workshop are available at the link in our bio. This workshop is offered as “pay what you can,” with a suggested $20 donation and a minimum $1 donation. As always, all revenue from this workshop will be split between JAC and our teaching artist facilitators to support incredibly important work. Please visit the link in our bio to learn more and register for this upcoming event.

#endmassincarceration #art #activism #socialchange #socialjustice #workshop #artivism #freethemall #prisonabolition #abolishthedeathpenalty

JAC is excited to share the incredible team of tea

JAC is excited to share the incredible team of teaching artists that have come together to facilitate our first distance learning program: CorrespondARTS! This team of amazing artists and organizations from JAC’s local network are collaborating on distance learning packets that represent a variety of disciplines and which will be sent into a women’s prison in Maryland. The team hopes to connect participants through theater, visual art, poetry and creative writing, a mission which has become even more important during the frequently isolating COVID-19 pandemic that has shut down most prison programming. We are so excited for this collaboration and want to thank @voices_unbarred @fistdc @hatless67 @carienquiroga for all of their incredible work! Please consider a donation to JAC in support of this project. Your donation will help cover the cost of supplies and enable us to compensate these talented teaching artists for their time and labor. Link in bio! 🙏

#distancelearning #maryland #prisonart #art #socialchange #socialjustice #endmassincarceration

#Repost @intersectionalenvironmentalist
• • • • • •
Artists are a beacon of hope and a vehicle of change during these major social justice movements. ✨⁠⠀
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We want to thank all the incredible artists using their craft to advocate for change + bring awareness to social issues around the world. #artisrevolutionary ✊🏽❤️
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#artist #revolution #creatives #advocate #socialissues #intersectional #intersectionalenvironmentalism #intersectionalenvironmentalist #intersectionalitymatters

Visit the JAC blog at the link in our bio to read

Visit the JAC blog at the link in our bio to read more about this week’s Artist Spotlight: O.G. Blue. A talented poet, Blue takes inspiration from almost everything around him and writing verse has long remained an important and empowering creative outlet. As Blue puts it, “poetry and writing awaken my mind to things that I could only dream of and I wanted to hold onto that thought for as long as I possibly could; therefore, I put it to pen and paper for a lasting reminder.” Read more of Blue’s work and learn more about his story on our website, available at the link in our bio.

#art #poetry #prisonart #prisonpoetry #artistspotlight #blog #endmassincarceration
#socialchange #socialjustice #artivism

Join JAC next Tuesday, October 29th, at 7 PM EST f

Join JAC next Tuesday, October 29th, at 7 PM EST for the second In The Box with Kenneth Reams Create + Connect Workshop. Currently incarcerated on death row, Kenneth is an activist and artist. In what will be the 2nd episode of his current podcast, In The Box, the workshop will feature a conversation between Kenneth and Bianca Tylek about the significance of activism and the transformative role art can play. Tylek is the Founder & Executive Director of Worth Rises, a national criminal justice organization focused on ending the exploitation of the prison industry. Tickets for this workshop are available at the link in our bio. This workshop is offered as “pay what you can,” with a suggested $20 donation and a minimum $1 donation. As always, all revenue from this workshop will be split between JAC and our teaching artist facilitators to support incredibly important work. Please visit the link in our bio to learn more and register for this upcoming event.

#workshop #endmassincarceration #socialjustice #socialchange #freekennethreams #art #artist #artivism

Out on demand and on digital platforms today, JAC

Out on demand and on digital platforms today, JAC invites you to watch The State of Texas v. Melissa! The film follows Melissa Lucio, the first woman sentenced to death in the state of Texas, with a focus on her current final appeal.

#endmassincarceration #film #outnow #thestateoftexasvsmelissa

We invite you to reflect today on the transformati

We invite you to reflect today on the transformative power of the arts for those affected by the carceral system in the United States and the relationship that exists between creative expression and abolition. JAC is proud to continue our important work of using the power of art to connect artists, activists and allies working towards these important goals. Please visit the link in our bio for our website and programs we are working on in order to help support our network artists!

#endmassincarceration #socialjustice #socialchange #freethemall #artasactivism #artasliberation #prisonabolition

Directed by Sabrina Van Tassel, The State of Texas

Directed by Sabrina Van Tassel, The State of Texas v. Melissa follows the story of Melissa Lucio, the first woman sentenced to death in the state of Texas. The film explores Melissa’s 10-year-fight against her unfair trial, now culminating in her final appeal. You can watch The State of Texas v. Melissa starting the 20th of October both on demand and on digital platforms. Stay tuned!

#endmassincarceration #film #thestateoftexasvsmelissa #freethemall #abolishthedeathpenalty

Join JAC and Americans For The Arts in advocating

Join JAC and Americans For The Arts in advocating for greater inclusion of creative workers in post-pandemic recovery by signing the letter available at the link in our bio. Addressed to the current administration, the letter provides 15 ways the government can incorporate creative workers in COVID-19 recovery efforts, including directly employing creative workers, encouraging local employment and generally integrating creative interventions into recovery methods. Arts and culture play a key role in driving important conversations, encouraging innovation and building community. We hope you will join us in calling for the continued support of creative workers by signing the letter.

#art #creatives #endmassincarceration #prisonart #socialchange #socialjustice

Today, JAC is featuring the gprgeous artwork of Da

Today, JAC is featuring the gprgeous artwork of David Green! We invite you to visit our blog (link in bio!) and learn more about Green’s story and art. Green is a talented visual artist and poet who creates and inspires, despite limited access to art supplies. As he puts it, “I will continue to try and reach and hopefully help others in the world know that no matter what we go through in life, be it poverty, death, or losing someone or something, something beautiful is there in the end and we can overcome.” Visit our website to see more of Green’s work!

#endmassincarceration #socialchange #socialjustice #art #prisonart #drawing #sketch #freethemall #artistspotlight

Today, JAC is sharing an important call to action.

Today, JAC is sharing an important call to action. We are asking everyone to share the story of Billie Allen and to add their name to a letter calling for a new trial for Billie. You can find the link to sign the letter in our bio. As the letter describes, “Billie Allen’s story demonstrates a glaring example of the complete failure of the justice system to provide defendants with effective legal counsel. Evidence that could have exonerated Billie over 23 years ago was available, but was not sought out or presented [...] If this evidence had been appropriately presented at Billie’s trial, it is likely that Billie would never have been convicted, much less served 23 years
on federal death row, awaiting execution.” We hope you will join us and stand in support of Billie by signing the letter today and sharing this important story.

Follow @freebillieallen for more info and updates!

#endmassincarceration #freebillieallen #freethemall #abolishthedeathpenalty

For this Tuesday’s Artist Spotlight, we are high

For this Tuesday’s Artist Spotlight, we are highlighting the fantastic art of Kenny Collins.

Currently incarcerated in Maryland, Collins uses art, poetry, yoga and writing to share his story and to demonstrate what he calls an “Epiphany-Awakening.” As Collins wrote in a blog available now on the JAC website, “From the very beginning I’ve maintained my Victimized-Innocence, throughout the entire allotted (32 1/2) years, all the while “Never-Giving-In nor Ever-Giving-Up!” Instead of its historical-tyranny deceptions, making my ‘Soul-Leak’ in despair. It Transformed my “Spirit-Strength” into an Epiphany-Awakening, igniting 1’s Ultimate-Battle-Cry phenomenally.”

In particular, we are posting Collins’s story today as part of a call to action. This week, we are asking individuals to join the Virtual Week of Action to say Free Kenny Collins/Black Incarcerated Lives Matter by sharing Kenny’s story and signing his petition. For more information about this week of action and Kenny Collins’s story, please visit the link in our bio and/or our blog.

#endmassincarceration #freethemall #socialchange #socialjustice #art #prisonart #freekennycollins #blackincarceratedlivesmatter

JAC is excited to announce another upcoming Create

JAC is excited to announce another upcoming Create + Connect workshop with Kenneth Reams! Join us Tuesday, October 29th, at 7 PM ET for Episode 2 of In The Box with Kenneth Reams. An artist currently incarcerated on death row, Reams will be leading a conversation about the connections between law, activism and the transformative power of the arts. For this workshop, Reams will be speaking with Bianca Tylek, the Founder & Executive Director of Worth Rises, a national criminal justice organization working to dismantle and end the exploitation of the prison industry. We hope you will sign up for what will be an informative and engaging conversation.

This workshop is offered as “pay what you can,” with a $20 suggested donation, and a $1 minimum donation. All revenue from JAC workshops is split between JAC and teaching artist facilitators to support their incredibly important work. To register for this workshop, please visit the link in our bio.

#endmassincarceration #endsolitaryconfinement #freethemall #socialchange #socialjustice #prisonart

JAC is proud to continue our work of using the tra

JAC is proud to continue our work of using the transformative power of art to help reimagine justice. Creative expression is necessary for community-building, healing and for allowing frequently marginalized individuals to share their own stories. We hope you will join us in supporting this incredibly important mission by continuing to support JAC community members. Please visit the JAC website to learn more about specific ways you can be involved in continuing to support our mission. Swipe for action items 👉

#endmassincarceration #freethemall #prisonart #prisonarts #socialchange #socialjustice

Reminder! Register for our Create + Connect Worksh

Reminder! Register for our Create + Connect Workshop: “From Officer to Advocate.” Join us TODAY, October 8th, at 6:30 PM EDT to hear Lorenzo Steele Jr. share both his experiences as a Correctional Officer at Rikers Island from 1987 - 1999 and discuss how he currently uses his art platform to deter violence and incarceration. We hope you will join us for this important conversation!

Short biography: Lorenzo Steele Jr. is an accomplished visual artist, author and former New York City Corrections officer. After spending time working at Rikers Island, Steele now shares his experience and knowledge of the correctional system with youth, parents, and educators. Currently, Steele provides conflict resolution, bullying, literacy training, and prison and gang awareness workshops in schools and communities in the greater New York metropolitan area.

You can register for this workshop at the link in our bio!

#endmassincarceration #freethemall #nonviolence #socialchange #workshop

Reminder! Register for our Create + Connect Worksh

Reminder! Register for our Create + Connect Workshop: “Seeing Sounds Chakra Colors.” Join us this Sunday, 10/11 at 12 PM EST, to create sound-inspired art. Edwin will lead participants to explore the relationships that exist between color, energy, and sound by creating their own art. Edwin is a painter and community artist that uses painting and other media forms to conceptualize with shape and color. As he describes it, his paintings “depict living entities in an “unseen” realm, which he uses to evoke positive energy in himself and his world.”

We can’t wait for this workshop and hope you will join us! This workshop is being offered as “pay what you can,” with a $20 suggested donation, and a $1 minimum donation. All revenue will be split between JAC and the teaching artist facilitators, to honor their creativity, passion, and commitment to creating these spaces. You can register for this workshop at the link in our bio!

#endmassincarceration #freethemall #art #artworkshop

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