Friday\, 21 April\, from 8:00 p.m. -late\, at OPENSOURC E(12 E. Washington\, Champaign\; www.opensource.boxwith.com)\, Pri son Arts Festival Opening and Party. OPENSOURCE will host a traveling collection of prisoner art collected by the Prison Creative Ar ts Project (PCAP) of Ann Arbor\, Michigan. Art made by Illinois prisoner s\, and collected by Sandra Ahten of the Champaign-Urbana Books 2 Prison ers Program\, will also be displayed. Opening comments by Tim Green from OPENSOURCE and Buzz Alexander from PCAP will be followed by wine\, chee se\, and\, later\, dancing to the rockin' tracks spun by UC Hip-Hop. Com e and see the art\, meet fellow activists\, and dance the night away!
Prison art offers viewers opportunities for recognizing the humanity of men and women whom the prison-industrial complex would like you to b elieve are monsters. Moving from comedy to tragedy\, from self portraits to nature drawings\, from realism to fantasy\, the prison arts on displ ay will enlighten and empower viewers\, hopefully motivating them to beg in seeking alternatives to massive incarceration.
Saturday\ , 22 April\, from Noon-to-2:00\, at Boardman's Art Theatre (126 West Chu rch\, downtown Champaign): screening of What We Leave Behind:< /b> a remarkable documentary produced by the Beyondmedia collective from Chicago\, What We Leave Behind was written\, filmed\, and ed ited by formerly incarcerated women to portray how the prison-industrial complex destroys families. After the screening\, join in a discussion about the hardships of living life on the edge of poverty and the partic ular difficulties faced by women trying to raise families\, hold down jo bs\, and rebuild lives shattered by crime\, violence\, and imprisonment.
Saturday\, 22 April\, from 2:30-4:00\, at OPENSOURCE (12 E . Washington\, Champaign\; www.opensource.boxwith.com)\, How to Fi ght The Prison Industrial Complex. A roundtable discussion o n strategies for advocating for social justice\, featuring:
Wi lliam Patterson\, U. of I. African American Studies\, hosting.
Judith Tannenbaum (Bay Area activist) on teaching political poetry in prisons.
Edward Hinck (Central Michigan State U.) on teaching debate skills in prisons.
Sandra Ahten (Books 2 Prisoners) on winning grassroots strategies.
Cherrie Gree n (Critical Resistance) on mobilizing youth for justice.
Andrea Brandon (Students for Sensible Drug Policy) on sane drug policies .
John Howard Association representative on monitoring pr isons.
Carol Aamons (C-U Citizens for Peace and Justice) on fighting racism.
Get involved! Each of these speakers represents a group or movement desperately in need of your assistance\, so come to this session prepared to join the fight against the prison-i ndustrial complex.
Saturday\, 22 April\, from 7:30-9:00\, a t OPENSOURCE (12 E. Washington\, Champaign\; www.opensource.boxwith.com) \, Slam Jam Romp Stomp II. As our capstone event to th e First Annual Prison Arts Festival\, join us for a raucous evening of p rison-based poetry. Poems by Illinois prisoners will be read by Aaron Aa mons of Champaign-Urbana's Citizens for Peace and Justice\; poems by Mi chigan prisoners will be read by Janie Paul of PCAP\; poems by Californi a prisoners will be read by Judith Tannenbaum\; and poems in honor of he r students on Rikers Island will be read by Tori Samartino\, the founder of Voices Unbroken. Come prepared to be enlightened and empowered by th e voices of folks the prison-industrial-complex wants silenced!
LAST-MODIFIED:20060420T130000Z CATEGORIES:Workshop CONTACT:Stephen Hartnett 217-333-1593 ORGANIZER:hartnett@uiuc.edu URL:http://illinois.edu/calendar/detail/500?key=200001012000010128028 UID:28028@illinois.edu END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR