Welcome to Envisioning Justice RE:ACTION, an exhibition and activation kit using the arts and humanities to imagine a future without mass incarceration.
Community organizer Monica Cosby discusses a work of art with a friend at Illinois Humanities' 2019 Envisioning Justice exhibition, 2019, Photo by Haley Scott.
Shane Calvin participates in an "Activation Day" workshop in the Illinois Humanities' 2019 Envisioning Justice exhibition, 2019, Photo by Haley Scott.
How do you envision justice?
The RE:ACTION Exhibition
Featuring new multidisciplinary works created by Illinois artists, humanists, and collectives, this exhibition addresses the many injustices embedded in our criminal legal system and devises new perspectives and strategies toward a world without mass incarceration. Explore dynamic works of visual art, creative writing, music, film, scholarship, and more.
View the Exhibition
"Diana Free" by Antonio Burton (2021, acrylic on canvas)
The Activation Kit
Take Action! Artists, humanists, and community partners have designed more than a dozen ways to interrogate our relationships to the carceral state, encourage healing, and put new perspectives into practice. Step into the Activation Kit, complete a prompt, and share your "RE:ACTION" with others.
Alicia Brown of Circles & Ciphers facilitates an "Activation Day" workshop at Illinois Humanities' 2019 Envisioning Justice exhibition, 2019, Photo by Haley Scott.
What is Envisioning Justice?
Envisioning Justice leverages the arts and humanities to envision alternatives to the enduring injustice of mass incarceration. This Illinois Humanities initiative works with communities and people impacted by mass incarceration to spark conversation and illuminate community-based strategies that address our racist and unjust criminal legal system.
Learn more
Image from the "Protest in Fashion Show" in partnership with Circles & Ciphers, 2019, Photo by Haley Scott.
Randall Horton leads a lecture at Illinois Humanities' Elective Studies Supper Club, 2018, Photo by Matthew Gregory Hollis.
About Illinois Humanities
Illinois Humanities, the Illinois affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, is a statewide nonprofit organization that activates the humanities through free public programs, grants, and educational opportunities that foster reflection, spark conversation, build community, and strengthen civic engagement. Our mission is to strengthen the social, political, and economic fabric of Illinois through constructive conversation and community engagement.
Learn more
Artists attending an Envisioning Justice Elective Studies Supper Club, 2018, Photo by Matthew Gregory Hollis.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE: “ILLINOIS HUMANITIES FUNDS OVER A DOZEN ‘ENVISIONING JUSTICE’ ART PROJECTS FOCUSED ON MASS INCARCERATION”
Darcel Rockett spoke with Envisioning Justice Program Manager Tyreece Williams about the evolution of the program.
Read More
"Diana Free" by Antonio Burton (2021, acrylic on canvas)
CHICAGO READER, APRIL 4 — ‘We can imagine our way into something else’
'Envisioning Justice RE:ACTION expands community-driven efforts to imagine a future without mass incarceration.'
Read More
Image design by Anna Jo Beck.
After 34 years, a murder conviction quietly reversed in 4 minutes
Since Maya’s piece was first published, developments in James Allen’s case led to one of his convictions being overturned. Read Maya’s update on Allen’s case, published Sept. 15, 2021 in Injustice Watch.
Read More