From Habeus Corpus to prison art practice, Liberated Lifers will lead a discussion about our experiences within California’s State Prisons.

Tuesday May 10th
Fellowship & Food: 6pm
Presentation&Discussion: 7-9pm
HRLA: 410 Cottage Home St, LA 90012
Part of the DecolonizeLA Art Exhibition: May 1-11

The Liberated Arts Collective is a collaboration between formerly incarcerated people serving term-to-life sentences, teaching artists and writers. We are invested in art as a tool for personal and community liberation, cultural expression and social change. Formerly incarcerated people come to the collective with a range of art experience and interests; some began our art practice years before being incarcerated, some started making art in prison, while others haven’t called our work “art” until now. While incarcerated, many of us used art as a tool to make money, remain sane in solitary confinement or steer away from prison politics. Now on the outside, we use art to recognize our power and potential, engage in leadership, build notoriety, express our concerns and our solutions, and exhibit our progress and our evolution. Through art, we gain a platform for our collective voices, speak to younger generations, address the “crisis on the streets” and educate the public about our experiences in California State Prisons and the probation system.

The Liberated Arts Collective grew out of and is a project of the Youth Justice Coalition’s “Welcome Home LA,” a re-entry project and support system built by formerly incarcerated people in order to bring others home. Welcome Home was a direct response to the lack of community-input in L.A. County’s and the state’s Reentry plans. The collective is owned and operated by liberated lifers and other formerly incarcerated people and serves as democratic space for the uplifting of the collective’s members, their wisdom and vision. This event is part of HRAL’s DecolonizeLA series, and was made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs.

For more info or to participate, contact us:
LiberatedArtsCollective@gmail.com
(213) 536-1911