Portraits of Justice

Portraits of Justice is a day-long symposium that will engage the public in reimagining the criminal justice system through the lens of art, advocacy, and policy reform.  A diverse and robust roster of directly impacted artists, practitioners, government officials and scholars will engage in a series of discussions to reflect upon local reform efforts, as well as engage with the national dialogue that highlights strategic arts-based approaches to criminal justice reform. 

Portraits of Justice is produced by Mural Arts Philadelphia in collaboration with Nicole Fleetwood, Associate Professor of American Studies, Rutgers University. The event is sponsored by the Art for Justice Fund, a recently launched initiative founded by Agnes Gund in collaboration with the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. The project is in collaboration with the City of Philadelphia’s MacArthur Foundation-supported Safety and Justice Challenge initiative; the City of Philadelphia’s Criminal Justice Partners; the Department of Fine Arts at PennDesign; and the School of Social Policy and Practice at Penn. 

Program

9AM: Registration

9:30AM: Opening Remarks

Dean John Jackson, School of Social Policy and Practice

President Judge Sheila Woods-Skipper, The Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas

Film Screening: LABELS by Mary Baxter, Multi-media artist

10AM: A Conversation on Criminal Law & Art

Larry Krasner, Philadelphia District Attorney 

Reginald Dwayne Betts, Poet and Ph.D. in Law Candidate at Yale University

Jesse Krimes, Artist and co-founder of Right of Return 

Bill Cobb, Deputy Director, ACLU Campaign for Smart Justice

Moderated by Erica Atwood, CEO of First Degree Consulting, LLC and the National Director of the Black & Brown Gun Violence Prevention Consortium

11AM: Morning Panel Break Out Sessions

Panel A: Public Advocacy and the Reform Effort in Philadelphia

Michael Bouchard, Director of Pretrial Services, City of Philadelphia

Josh Glenn, Co-Director, Youth Art and Self Empowerment Project (YASP)

Julie Wertheimer, Chief of Staff, Managing Director's Office of Criminal Justice, City of Philadelphia

Dawan Williams, Guild Coordinator, Mural Arts Philadelphia

Moderated by Michael O'Bryan, Urban Innovation Fellow, Drexel University

Panel B: Incarcerated Arts and Public Engagement

Jym Baker, Reentry Think Tank

Courtney Bowles, Co-Director, The People's Paper Co-Op

Bonnie Kerness, American Friends Service Committee

Ojore Lutalo, Artist and Activist 

Moderated by Nicole Fleetwood, Associate Professor of American Studies, Rutgers University

12:15PM: Lunch Keynote

Presentation by Jane Golden, Executive Director, Mural Arts Philadelphia

Keynote with Tyra Patterson and David Singleton, Ohio Justice Policy Center

1:45PM Conversation with Luis Suave Gonzales, My First and Last Chance

Luis Suave Gonzales, Director of NuStop Resource Center, Muralist, Writer, Community Activist

Cynthia Link, Former Superintendent of Graterford State Correctional Institution

Ron Hill, Visiting Professor, American University

Moderated by Brian O'Neill, Associate Professor, West Chester University

2:45PM: Afternoon Panel Break Out Sessions

Panel C: The Role of Storytelling to Drive Policy Change

Sue Ellen Allen, Founder, Reinventing Reentry

Mark Houldin, Defender Association of Philadelphia

Jon Kaufman, Co-Founder, MING Media

El Sawyer, Co-Founder, MING Media

Shontina Vernon, Filmmaker and Theater Artist

Moderated by Rachael Eisenberg, Project Manager, MacArthur Foundation Safety and Justice Challenge, Managing Director's Office, City of Philadelphia

Panel D: African American Art and Criminal Justice Reform 

Mary Baxter, Multi-media Artist and Activist

Russell Craig, Artist

Ndume Olatushanie, Artist and Activist

Moderated by Li Sumpter, Founder and Creative Director of Myth Media Studios

4:15PM: Closing Keynote

Introduction by  Mayor Jim Kenney

Keynote with Albert Woodfox, Prison Reform Activist