Black Voices

New Exhibition Series to Showcase Work of Incarcerated Young People


New Exhibition Series to Showcase Work of Incarcerated Young People

SkyART, the Weinburg/Newton Gallery and Arts and Public Life are partnering for a three-part exhibition series as they work to explore the impact incarceration has on young people.

The artwork on display was created by incarcerated youth.

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One of the missions of the collaboration is to encourage the young people they work with to focus on where they’re going, not where they started.

“We’re trying to rescue some of the innocence that was never really afforded to these kids. We know that our poor Black and Brown communities are over criminalized, and often times through the foster care system, through poorly funded education, all the way through incarceration,” said Devon VanHouten-Maldonado of SkyART.  “These youth are … never afforded the innocent childhood that all children deserve. So in some ways, we’re trying to examine that and create a space for that, not only in the exhibition but when we go into these facilities and work with youth.”

The three-part exhibition kicked off this week at the Weinburg Newton Gallery, 668 N. Milwaukee Ave., and also features work form contemporary artists who create work around issues of incarceration.  Part 2 will debut at Arts and Public Life on Oct. 21, with the final exhibit instillation at SkyART on Oct. 28. 


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