Justice Arts Coalition

ART EXHIBITS AND ARTIST ENGAGEMENT - JAC seeks to create multiple public platforms through which incarcerated and formerly incarcerated artists can share their creative work, including online portfolios and galleries, online exhibitions, blog posts, ArtLinks events, and in-person exhibitions. JAC received nearly 400 pieces of artwork from artists in prison and hosted an online exhibition that lasted several months and included over 40 artists. We built online portfolios for over 300 artists on our website. JAC also pairs incarcerated artists with artists outside of prison through an arts-focused pen pal program and runs a distance-learning arts program, CorrespondARTS, for people in 3 local prisons. Our work with incarcerated artists requires regular correspondence with them through USPS and handling and organizing their creative work requires a great deal of staff and volunteer time.

COMMUNITY EVENTS - JAC hosted 110 online learning and community-building opportunities for people working at the intersection of the arts and justice, including a workshop series, weekly community gatherings, and a 3-day virtual conference that included 85 speakers across 28 sessions, and was attended by over 400 people.