Free Write Arts & Literacy presents a very special exhibition of student work, In Conversation.
In Conversation invites over two dozen internationally recognized artists to create original work in response to Free Write student visual art, poetry, animations, and audio recordings.
For almost 20 years, Free Write has been working inside locked facilities like the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention
Center (CCJTDC), offering literacy and arts education to detained youth. As an extension of this programming, Free Write
produces regular publications and exhibitions to bring forth student work and stories beyond the walls of the jail and into the
public sphere. These efforts serve to celebrate, validate, and elevate the work of our students, while also instigating complex
conversations about the carceral system, justice, and community accountability.
This year, we invite artists from Chicago and beyond to be a part of that conversation. Each piece will be exhibited alongside
its source material and included in a printed catalogue, forging discourse and dialogue between artists inside and outside of
detention.
In Conversation is curated by Chelsea Ross, with assistance from Omar Dyette.
Free Write Arts & Literacy Artists: Adam M., Adrian W., Cornelius H., Darian G., Destine P., Frankey L., Hector M.,
Jasmine, Jeremy D., Jonathan, Joshua S., Jovanny S., Kenneth T., Keshawn H., Kian M., Meisha, Monica L., Nakiyah P.,
STREETZ
Featured Artists: Alexandra Antoine, Angela Davis Fegan, Chelsea Ross, Damon Locks, Derrick Woods-Morrow, Don
Crescendo, Elizabeth De La Piedra, Emilio Rojas, Iris Bernblum, Jared Brown, Jeffrey Michael Austin, Liz Gomez, Liz
McCarthy, Marzena Abrahamik, Melissa Castra Almandina, Nancy Sánchez, Norman Teague, Patricia Nguyen, Ryan
Searchl1te, Shawné Michaelain Hollway, Tarnynon Onumonu, Tim Nice, Zakkiyyah Najeebah
Date: August 20, 2019
Category: Exhibitions