Damon Locks, Sarah Ross and Timmy Châu
Directors, Art and Exhibitions and Managing Director, The Prison + Neighborhood Arts/Education Project
Visual arts and education project PNAP connects artists, scholars and the broader outside world to incarcerated students, primarily at Stateville Prison. Since its inception in 2011, the important work of PNAP staff has largely been done on a volunteer basis, but thanks to a 2021 Mellon Foundation grant, they’ve hired staff and started a Fellows program for people leaving prison to continue their education at Northeastern Illinois University. Recent projects include the realization of “The 51st (Free) State,” at DePaul Art Museum, which seeks to connect the 2.2 million people “incarcerated across the nation through a spatio-political imaginary;” citywide murals; and an art critique group at Hill Prison. Later this year, they will open a gallery and community space in Humboldt Park, to be co-led by Pablo Mendoza, a formerly incarcerated artist."
