The Larger Conversation:
MASS INCARCERATION, CREATIVITY, AND HEALING
Thursday, November 17, 2022
7 - 8:30 pm
CALDERWOOD HALL
General admission for children 17 years and under is always free
Thursday, November 17, 2022
7 - 8:30 pm
CALDERWOOD HALL
One in every two adults in America has had a family member in jail or prison. The United States has the highest rates of incarceration in the world with more than two million people in a system that drastically and disproportionately impacts people of color. The impacts of this system and these racial disparities are profound and long-lasting, extending far beyond prison walls. But, what is the role of a creative practice in healing from experiences of incarceration?
Join award-winning poet, lawyer, and author Reginald Dwayne Betts, Stacey Borden of New Beginnings Reentry Services, Erika Rumbley of the New Garden Society, and André de Quadros of the Prison Arts Project at Boston University, as they discuss their work at the intersection of the arts and social justice in Boston and beyond. Together they will examine the effects of mass incarceration on individuals and communities, and discuss how the arts can support our imagining of more just futures and seed change on both personal and systemic levels.
As part of this program, the Museum is hosting a book drive in partnership with the Prison Book Program, a local non-profit supporting the growth and development of people in prisons and jails. Please see the information about the book drive below.
A non-profit based in Quincy, MA, Prison Book Program supports the growth and development of people in prisons and jails by providing free books and other materials to readers in 49 states, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
To donate to the book drive, on November 17, please bring paperback books that are either new or in reasonably good condition, or purchase one from Gift at the Gardner. Please note: many prisons do not allow hardcover books, spiral-bound books, or books with extensive underlining and/or highlighting.
We encourage you to bring books related to creativity. Book donations on the following subjects are preferred:
Advanced tickets are required and include Museum admission. Adults $20, seniors $18, students $13, free for members and children 17 and under.
Seating in Calderwood Hall is first come, first served. Seating begins 45 minutes before the event. Late seating is not guaranteed.
To request accessible or wheelchair seating please call the box office at 617 278 5156.
The Gardner maintains its mask requirement for free and ticketed events in Calderwood Hall. Masks must be worn over the mouth and nose while in Calderwood Hall. Please contact the Box Office at 617 278 5156 for further information.
Titus Kaphar: The Jerome Project is supported by the Abrams Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Wagner Foundation, the Robert Lehman Foundation, and the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.
Media Partner: The Boston Globe
The Museum receives operating support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which is supported by the state of Massachusetts and the National Endowment for the Arts.