Justice Arts

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G
1	Arts Organizations Working with Justice Involved People	Location		Mission/Purpose	Org Lead or Contact	Referred by	Notes
2	This list was created in December 2021 by New York's Culture @3 Anti-Racism Subcommittee. Originally intended as a list of New York city based arts organizations working with incarcerated and de-incarcerated people, it includes organizations in other parts of the United States. If you have a platform, Culture @3 invites you to "pass the mic" to these organizations by choosing one to learn more about, feature in your newsletter or social media, and more. Feel free to contact regina.bain@qc.cuny.edu with questions. And pass the mic! UPDATE: We found a beautifully curated list by region: https://thejusticeartscoalition.org/programs/ Check it out as well!

3	Arthur Kill Press	New York		An NYC and PDX based small press with robust programming, dedicated to publishing the voices of currently and formerly incarcerated individuals through outreach and one-on-one mentorship.			Also in Portland
4	NeOn Arts Network	New York		NeON Arts—a program of the New York City Department of Probation (DOP) in partnership with Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute—integrates arts into the seven NeONs (community-based probation centers located throughout New York City).		Lucy Sexton, Leticia Peguero	Department of Probation, Carnegie Hall
5	Ritual4Return	New York	Bronx	Ritual4Return (R4R) is a 12-week rite of passage created with, by, and for people who are survivors of the criminal justice system.	Alexander Anderson
6	Drama Club NYC	New York	Queens	Our mission is to consistently care for youth—especially those who are incarcerated and court-involved—by creating space for them to thrive, using improv as their guide.		Kim Olsen
7	Fortune Society	New York	Queens	The Fortune Society’s mission is to support successful reentry from incarceration and promote alternatives to incarceration, thus strengthening the fabric of our communities.	Jamie Maleszka	Kim Olsen and Lisa Robb and Steven Hitt	Queens. The Public Theater, MoMA PS1
8	Rehabilitation Through the Arts	New York		RTA helps people in prison develop critical life skills through the arts, modeling an approach to the justice system based on human dignity rather than punishment.	Alison Chernow	Cari @NYC and Company and Kim Olsen	Lincoln Center. Mahogany Browne. Just Media. Kat Gunn founded it. Go to resource for film and media about work for incarcerated people. https://justmediaproject.org/
9	Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall	New York		Lullaby Project connects artists to parents to create lullabies, including those in correctional facilities. Musical connections brings artists and the incarcerated together to create music.		Kim Olsen	Musical connections: https://www.carnegiehall.org/education/programs/musical-connections
10	Artistic Noise	New York	Harlem	Artistic Noise brings the power of artistic practice to youth who are system-involved and others throughout the community.		Kim Olsen	Our work, ranging from Harlem-based community settings to detention facilities, supports the positive reentry for youth and also provides preventive care for those in need. Artistic Noise workshops allow youth to reflect on their experiences and examine complex socio-political issues in a safe and structured environment.
11	Manhattan Theater Club's Stargate Theatre	New York		Stargate employs young individuals identifying as male who have been involved with the justice system to create and perform an original play. Led by artistic professionals, they explore the world in which they live and reflect it on the stage.		Kim Olsen	Additional information: https://www.manhattantheatreclub.com/education/stargate-theatre/
12	Rikers Public Memory Project	New York		This project is a community-based, participatory initiative through which our collective stories about the impact of Rikers are activated to envision a more just NYC. A partnership between Freedom Agenda, Create Forward, and Humanities Action Lab.		Kim Olsen	Think through the ways that the process of collectively remembering can be used as a strategic organizing tool in the movement to close Rikers Island.
13	Town Hall (Storytellers Lab)	New York		Since June 2018, in collaboration with the Department of Corrections (DOC), Town Hall has provided theatre programming for young men, ages 18-21, on Rikers Island, which is aimed at using the arts as a catalyst for individual growth and self-discovery.		Kim Olsen
14	Confined Arts at the Columbia University Center for Justice	New York		Located at The Center for Justice at Columbia University and at the Center for Institutional and Social Change at Columbia Law School, The Confined Arts (TCA) builds the capacity of both currently and formerly incarcerated artists by connecting them to resources, research that we conduct through Columbia University, and an extensive network of advocates, service organizations, and other justice impacted artists.		Kim Olsen
15	Opening Act	New York		Today, our free, year-long, after school theater program serves 56 schools throughout New York City, including our partnership with District 79, the city’s alternative school district, where we work with young people who are pursuing a high school equivalency diploma in a formal educational environment because their education was disrupted by a life event.		Kim Olsen
16	Recess Activities	New York	Brooklyn	In 2017 we initiated the Assembly Program for artists to directly support system impacted youth.
17	Flex Dance Program	New York	Brooklyn	Flex Dance Program (est. 2014) is an arts education non profit that fosters positive growth among young people in difficult circumstances.		Carlye Eckert
18	Youth Justice Network	New York	Brooklyn	Individually and in groups, participants create textiles, murals, photo and video, and perform in music and spoken word events. Through the Center for Arts and Culture, youth members heal, find peace, inspire, and express their creativity.		Traci Lester	Works with Center for Fiction
19	NYU	New York		We provide an A.A. Degree to people currently incarcerated and support students’ continued education on campus post-release.		Larry Mahl	We provide referrals for wellness & human services, mentorship, and have a robust network of public programming and student led initiatives.
20	Echoes of Incarceration	New York		Echoes of Incarceration is an award-winning documentary initiative produced by youth who are directly impacted by the criminal justice system. The project provides hands-on video production and advocacy training for young adults, and creates documentaries and video journalism pieces told from the life experiences of the filmmakers themselves.
21	Alliance of Families for Justice!	New York		The mission of the alliance of families for justice is to support, empower and mobilize families and individuals impacted by the criminal justice system so they can marshal their collective power to create a just world.	Soffiah Elijah	Ted Berger
22	Reentry Rocks	New York	Queens	Sentenced to Dance is a creative arts program of Reentry Rocks that is free to previously incarcerated women. It's a course in which participants will engage movement as a form of self expression, empowerment, and healing. Participants will have a safe space in which to explore their bodies, their histories, and the breadth of their own creativity.		Aya Hayashi	We help formerly incarcerated women with histories of domestic violence achieve their goals, become leaders, and rebuild their lives.
23	Artist: Shaun Leonardo***	New York		His performance practice, anchored by his work in Assembly—a diversion program for court-involved youth at the Brooklyn-based, non-profit Recess—is participatory and invested in a process of embodiment.		Kim Olsen and Lisa Gold
24	Artist: Daniel Levy	New York		He most recently began leading a new year-long music program at Taconic Correctional Facility for Project Music Heals Us.		Kim Olsen
25	Music On the Inside	New York		Music on the Inside (MOTI) connects youth and adults impacted by incarceration with professional musicians as teachers and mentors to bring hope and healing through the transformative power of music		Stefan Forbes
26	Mass Story Lab	New York		Mass Story Lab is a community storytelling project making stories an instrument of justice. In a Mass Story Lab, the stories of people directly impacted by mass incarceration become the lens through which communities imagine a world beyond prisons.	Piper Anderson		New York and National in cities across the U.S. Ted Talk: Can stories create justice? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3yzmTWA3Bw
27	Exodus Transitional Community	New York		Though grounded in our re-entry programs, Exodus Transitional Community offers a broad spectrum of services for adults and youth affected by the justice system, and we are proud to lead the policy and advocacy efforts that promote positive change in our communities.
28	Create Justice	National		An online resource that helps to collect, organize, and amplify arts-centered approaches to transforming the youth justice systems and reimagining and strengthening communities.		Kim Olsen	Sarah Johnson, of Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute, and Kaile Shilling, of the Arts for Incarcerated Youth Network, came together to share each organization’s work tied to youth justice and discuss policy shifts taking place in their respective cities: New York City and Los Angeles.
29	Vera Institute of Justice	National		Vera is powered by hundreds of advocates, researchers, and activists working to transform the criminal legal and immigration systems until they’re fair for all.		Kim Olsen	Arts Program? Founded in 1961 to advocate for alternatives to money bail in New York City, Vera is now a national organization that partners with impacted communities and government leaders for change.
30	Performing Statistics	National		We are a cultural organizing project that uses art to model, imagine, and advocate for alternatives to youth incarceration.		Lisa Gold and Leticia Peguero
31	Pen America Prison Writing Program	National		For more than four decades, PEN America’s Prison Writing Program has amplified the writing of thousands of imprisoned writers by providing free resources, skilled mentors, and audiences for their writing.		Melissa Sandor
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37	Healing Centered Engagement Practitioner https://flourishagenda.com/healing-centered-engagement-certification/
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