Mural Arts Philadelphia

As a counterpoint to commonplace attitudes that promote a climate of silence and stigma around incarceration, Voices aimed to nurture a culture of community health and well-being by promoting acceptance, belonging, and dialogue. Incarcerated participants were invited to share their stories through writing, drawing, performance, and other forms of creative expression, promoting awareness beyond prison walls while cultivating dialogue built on mutual respect and dignity.
Following film screenings, panel discussions, a symposium, and a widely-watched livestream event at SCI Graterford, the project culminated in a mural designed by formerly incarcerated artist Jesse Krimes, installed at the State Department of Corrections Community Corrections Center. Krimes developed the design through intensive workshops with Voices participants, encouraging them to share their personal experiences and relate them to broader issues of incarceration, reentry, and community relations. The large-scale brick wall in the mural is partially concealed by peeling paint, with imagery and words revealed where the paint peels away, sharing messages of humanity and resilience. The crooked tree and its chained, straightened shadow are a nod to the parable of the crooked tree, symbolizing participants’ personal growth and ability to flourish in spite, or because of, unexpected life turns.

Creativity gives us the ability to reimagine the world around us, and the criminal justice system is no exception. The individuals directly impacted by our criminal justice system are best positioned to lead conversations and to find solutions to the problem of overincarceration. Launched in 2017, the Reimagining Reentry Fellowship funds selected artists impacted by the justice system to examine the problems posed by mass incarceration on both a personal and a systemic level, illuminating the human cost and potential solutions.