Bound by Sisterhood: Women Sharing Stories of Love & Incarceration
An exhibition of art and writing by incarcerated people and their families

Opening reception March 8, 2017, 12pm-5pm

Private viewings by appointment and programmed events at

Art on 51st Street Gallery 1238 W. 51st St, Chicago IL 60609

Bound by Sisterhood tells the personal stories of women impacted by incarceration. In commemoration of International Women’s Day, this exhibit is a space where women tell their stories of life on both sides of the prison wall. In the United States, between 1980 and 2014, the number of incarcerated women increased by more than 700%. Since 2000, Free Write Arts & Literacy has engaged incarcerated and court-involved youth in the performing, visual, and literary arts so that they become the narrators of their own stories and the authors of their futures. PBMR is a Community Restorative Justice Hub located in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood. Motivated by the spirituality of the Precious Blood, we see our purpose as being agents of reconciliation helping our youth and their families experience radical hospitality, hope and healing as they strive to build a future. As most of those we serve are affected by incarceration, violence, poverty, racism and lack of resources, we attempt to restore broken relationships and remove some of these barriers.

Presenting work by participants of Free Write Arts and Literacy and Precious Blood Ministries of Reconciliation, the exhibition centers the experiences of incarceration through the perspectives of women directly impacted by mass incarceration. The exhibit will feature self portraits, a listening station featuring audio recordings of student compositions, drawings, paintings, a a quilt-in-progress juxtaposed by photographs curated by the mothers of children facing life without the possibility of parole. Sister Donna from PBMR says, “We want the public to become informed about the impact of incarceration. To engage with the exhibit and to build with each other through dialogue and action can be proactive in removing the causes of suffering and restoring the relationships harmed.”

Bound by Sisterhood will run from March 8th to April 8th, 2017 and will host weekly programming such as art classes, restorative justice circles, storytelling workshops. Private viewing is available by appointment. For more information, contact Sister Donna Liette at liettecpps@aol.com or Mathilda de Dios at mathilda@freewritechicago.org Curated by Free Write alumnae Mariela Villanueva and staff members Mathilda de Dios,

Elgin-Bokari Smith, Roger Bonair-Agard, and Ryan Keesling and Precious Blood Ministries Staff Sr. Donna Liette, Br. Juan Acuña, Diana Rubio and Julie Anderson and guest curator Jacqueline Montanez. Links:
Free Write Arts & Literacy – www.freewritechicago.org
Precious Blood Ministries of Reconciliation – www.pbmr.org
Sample Images. For high resolution images, email ryan@freewritechicago.org