1 00:00:00,333 --> 00:00:04,666 [Music] 2 00:00:04,733 --> 00:00:08,200 Space, a splash of color, 3 00:00:09,833 --> 00:00:12,933 meaning; when you're sent away to prison, 4 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:14,566 you lose more than your freedom, 5 00:00:14,833 --> 00:00:16,766 you lose your voice. 6 00:00:17,366 --> 00:00:20,566 Art has the power to both heal and connect. 7 00:00:21,333 --> 00:00:24,900 Art is also a set of skills that can be taught and learned. 8 00:00:25,966 --> 00:00:27,900 When you come out of prison, it's difficult, 9 00:00:27,966 --> 00:00:29,733 sometimes nearly impossible, 10 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:34,266 to find your place back in the world to reclaim your voice. 11 00:00:36,266 --> 00:00:38,233 Give someone the opportunity to work. 12 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:41,900 You can feed their self-worth and pride, 13 00:00:41,966 --> 00:00:45,400 nurture their creativity and self-expression, 14 00:00:45,466 --> 00:00:47,933 feed their soul. 15 00:01:03,466 --> 00:01:08,033 Returning Citizens is made possible by ... 16 00:01:37,500 --> 00:01:41,933 The United Way, fostering success of those who as they 17 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:43,866 return to our neighborhoods, 18 00:01:43,933 --> 00:01:46,733 remain a largely untapped resource. 19 00:01:47,066 --> 00:01:49,033 The formally incarcerated. 20 00:01:49,433 --> 00:01:52,900 Waterman II Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation 21 00:01:52,966 --> 00:01:55,333 at the recommendation of David Hass. 22 00:01:55,733 --> 00:01:58,000 The Independence Foundation. 23 00:01:59,633 --> 00:02:02,766 Philadelphia has become known as the City of Murals due to 24 00:02:02,833 --> 00:02:06,100 the efforts of hundreds of artists and one woman, 25 00:02:06,166 --> 00:02:07,566 Jane Golden. 26 00:02:08,033 --> 00:02:09,700 Jane is a Stanford educated, 27 00:02:09,766 --> 00:02:13,733 unstoppable champion of art in public spaces. 28 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:19,066 She's been changing urban landscapes and lives since 1984. 29 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:23,433 Jane created the Guild Restorative Justice Program, 30 00:02:23,733 --> 00:02:28,033 which uses art to heal and empower people and communities 31 00:02:28,100 --> 00:02:30,900 impacted by the criminal legal system. 32 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:35,800 We met at a neighborhood mural called Family Interrupted. 33 00:02:40,566 --> 00:02:44,800 So it's the early 80s, you graduated from Stanford and 34 00:02:44,866 --> 00:02:47,066 you're living the life. What was that like? 35 00:02:47,333 --> 00:02:49,000 Well, actually, it was really lonely. 36 00:02:49,066 --> 00:02:52,133 I was painting in my studio and driving around Los Angeles 37 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:54,200 and seeing these extraordinary murals, 38 00:02:54,266 --> 00:02:57,300 and I remembered that I grew up in a family with parents 39 00:02:57,366 --> 00:02:59,133 who talked a lot about the murals that were created 40 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:00,566 during the WPA. 41 00:03:00,633 --> 00:03:02,866 And they talked about how artists could make an impact 42 00:03:02,933 --> 00:03:03,966 in the world. 43 00:03:04,033 --> 00:03:05,633 And I'm driving around, I'm like mural, mural, mural. 44 00:03:05,700 --> 00:03:07,300 I'm like, these are so beautiful. 45 00:03:07,366 --> 00:03:10,366 One day I'm coming home and I open the LA Times and there's 46 00:03:10,433 --> 00:03:13,200 an article about the LA mural program and they give out 47 00:03:13,266 --> 00:03:15,166 grants to artists to do murals and communities. 48 00:03:15,233 --> 00:03:18,200 So I think, ha, I I'm going to apply. 49 00:03:18,266 --> 00:03:20,133 They said all the things they have to do, 50 00:03:20,233 --> 00:03:22,266 like find a wall, hire people from the community, 51 00:03:22,333 --> 00:03:24,366 do a community inspired design. 52 00:03:24,433 --> 00:03:26,200 So I hung up, I did everything, 53 00:03:26,266 --> 00:03:27,266 I did all those things. 54 00:03:27,333 --> 00:03:28,466 I found a good wall, I did a design, 55 00:03:28,533 --> 00:03:31,133 I I knocked on people's doors and said would you make a 56 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:34,666 mural with me like strangers and then dropped off my packet. 57 00:03:34,733 --> 00:03:37,400 I called them every day for three months and after three 58 00:03:37,466 --> 00:03:39,633 months I got a call and someone said: 59 00:03:39,700 --> 00:03:40,700 "I'd like to speak with Jane Golden." 60 00:03:40,766 --> 00:03:41,800 And I said: "This is she." 61 00:03:41,866 --> 00:03:44,400 And they said, this is the truth: "We hope we never 62 00:03:44,466 --> 00:03:46,866 hear from you again but you have the grant." 63 00:03:46,933 --> 00:03:49,166 And the grant was $300 to do a wall, 64 00:03:49,233 --> 00:03:50,933 100 feet long and 20 feet high. 65 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:54,800 It was such a thrill to do this mural and I just decided 66 00:03:54,866 --> 00:03:58,066 then because I was an I was a double major at Stanford, 67 00:03:58,133 --> 00:03:59,500 political science and fine art and I thought, 68 00:03:59,566 --> 00:04:01,000 I'll be an artist, I'll be a lawyer. 69 00:04:01,066 --> 00:04:02,566 And I thought, I'm not going to be a lawyer, 70 00:04:02,633 --> 00:04:04,266 I'm going to paint murals. 71 00:04:04,333 --> 00:04:07,100 But murals that seems like the perfect way to do political 72 00:04:07,166 --> 00:04:08,200 science and art. 73 00:04:08,266 --> 00:04:09,666 That's right, I found my calling. 74 00:04:09,733 --> 00:04:12,633 I mean, I'm telling you, it was like such a thrill. 75 00:04:12,700 --> 00:04:14,866 And then we started working with young people on probation 76 00:04:14,933 --> 00:04:17,533 and doing bigger, more complicated projects, 77 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:20,766 and I got to see the power of art like firsthand. 78 00:04:20,833 --> 00:04:22,766 It was, it was like, contagious, right? 79 00:04:22,833 --> 00:04:28,733 So and that takes us to 1984 and you're back in Philadelphia. 80 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:31,466 I pick up the Philadelphia Enquirer and I read about 81 00:04:31,533 --> 00:04:34,066 that there's a man named Wilson Good who's running for mayor. 82 00:04:34,133 --> 00:04:37,266 I read that he's won our first black mayor, 83 00:04:37,333 --> 00:04:38,433 it's hugely exciting. 84 00:04:38,500 --> 00:04:40,400 And then I read an article that he's going to start an 85 00:04:40,466 --> 00:04:43,333 anti-graffiti network and in the article it's buried, 86 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:46,266 he says he's going to work with young people who are 87 00:04:46,333 --> 00:04:48,633 writing on walls and create an art component 88 00:04:48,700 --> 00:04:50,233 because he thinks that they have talent. 89 00:04:50,300 --> 00:04:52,933 And I thought to myself that could be my job. 90 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:54,900 Like, what a random thought, right? 91 00:04:54,966 --> 00:04:55,900 I don't know Wilson Good. 92 00:04:55,966 --> 00:04:58,666 So I go home and I write a letter to Wilson Good. 93 00:04:58,733 --> 00:05:00,966 Like, I would be like, my honor to work in your 94 00:05:01,033 --> 00:05:03,166 administration and then a few weeks later, 95 00:05:03,233 --> 00:05:05,933 I get a call from this man who was head of arts and culture. 96 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:08,800 And he said: "I know your boss from the City of LA 97 00:05:08,866 --> 00:05:10,466 I got your resume, I called her, 98 00:05:10,533 --> 00:05:12,133 I said, should I hire Jane Golden?" 99 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:13,933 She said: "She'll drive you crazy, 100 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:16,300 She's so tenacious, but you should hire her." 101 00:05:16,366 --> 00:05:19,300 I mean, I felt like the sky's the limit and then I started 102 00:05:19,366 --> 00:05:21,866 meeting all these graffiti writers with enormous talent 103 00:05:21,933 --> 00:05:23,800 and potential genius actually. 104 00:05:23,866 --> 00:05:26,300 What they did not have were opportunities and options. 105 00:05:26,366 --> 00:05:28,233 And then communities started asking for murals. 106 00:05:28,300 --> 00:05:31,200 So we had this old city vehicle and we kept paints in it. 107 00:05:31,266 --> 00:05:32,966 And we were like, da, da, da, we were like, 108 00:05:33,033 --> 00:05:34,200 on the move all the time, okay, 109 00:05:34,266 --> 00:05:35,066 this corner, that corner. 110 00:05:35,133 --> 00:05:35,900 People were like, we want a mural, 111 00:05:35,966 --> 00:05:36,733 we want a mural. 112 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:38,200 And for young people, it was like, 113 00:05:38,266 --> 00:05:41,766 oh my God, it was like art became a lifeline for them. 114 00:05:41,833 --> 00:05:44,566 Included in the people you work with are returning 115 00:05:44,633 --> 00:05:47,333 citizens and people who are doing time right now. 116 00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:50,533 We started working in the county prison a little bit and 117 00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:53,633 then we got an invitation to come present at the state prison 118 00:05:53,700 --> 00:05:55,533 to a group of men in the art class. 119 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:58,066 And I remember thinking, this is, 120 00:05:58,133 --> 00:05:59,733 you know, I don't think anyone's going to really 121 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:01,000 relate to the work. 122 00:06:01,066 --> 00:06:04,466 And we drove, it's an hour and a half outside the city and we 123 00:06:04,533 --> 00:06:07,733 went in this class and I walked in and saw remarkable work. 124 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:09,733 And after the talk the men said, 125 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:12,700 Jane, if we'd only had an anti-graffiti or a mural arts 126 00:06:12,766 --> 00:06:14,766 program, maybe we would not be here. 127 00:06:14,833 --> 00:06:18,866 And so it just really moved me and I went back and then the 128 00:06:18,933 --> 00:06:20,233 art therapist reached out again, 129 00:06:20,300 --> 00:06:21,133 said let's do a mural. 130 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:22,400 So we go out there, we do this mural. 131 00:06:22,466 --> 00:06:24,800 The mural changes every two weeks the men change it, 132 00:06:24,866 --> 00:06:25,800 change it, change it, change it. 133 00:06:25,866 --> 00:06:27,400 I'm like, look, this is like the Sistine Chapel, 134 00:06:27,466 --> 00:06:28,366 we have to finish the mural. 135 00:06:28,433 --> 00:06:30,200 They said: "Jane, if we finish it, 136 00:06:30,266 --> 00:06:32,000 you're never coming back." 137 00:06:32,066 --> 00:06:33,266 Wow. 138 00:06:33,333 --> 00:06:34,533 And they said: "You know what we call sometimes people like you?" 139 00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:35,500 And I said: "What?" 140 00:06:35,566 --> 00:06:38,233 They said: "Taurus, people like you come in, 141 00:06:38,300 --> 00:06:39,833 they want to put it on their resume, 142 00:06:39,900 --> 00:06:42,233 they get a grant and then they they leave and never come back." 143 00:06:42,300 --> 00:06:43,866 I'm like, well, you don't know Jane Golden. 144 00:06:43,933 --> 00:06:45,600 First of all, I'd never really go away. 145 00:06:45,666 --> 00:06:48,933 We're sort of like Lou, I said: "What would you like to do?" 146 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:50,933 And they said: "We want to do outdoor murals." 147 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:53,500 And I'm like, wow, because mostly they were lifers. 148 00:06:53,566 --> 00:06:55,766 I'm like, I think that's above my pay grade to get you out. 149 00:06:55,833 --> 00:06:57,233 So what can we do? 150 00:06:57,300 --> 00:06:58,966 Oh, I said, oh, we get pain on parachute cloth. 151 00:06:59,033 --> 00:07:00,433 So Parachute cloth? 152 00:07:00,500 --> 00:07:04,433 Yeah, it's this lightweight material and I think this 153 00:07:04,500 --> 00:07:05,633 mural's actually on parachute cloth. 154 00:07:05,700 --> 00:07:08,466 You can't tell it's gelled up, but it makes it totally an 155 00:07:08,533 --> 00:07:09,566 inclusive experience. 156 00:07:09,633 --> 00:07:11,166 That's how we have thousands of kids working. 157 00:07:11,233 --> 00:07:11,866 That's how we can work behind them ... 158 00:07:11,933 --> 00:07:13,100 Okay, hold on. 159 00:07:13,166 --> 00:07:14,600 You actually mean like pure issues that people jump out of 160 00:07:14,666 --> 00:07:15,200 planes with. 161 00:07:15,266 --> 00:07:15,866 It's similar to that. 162 00:07:15,933 --> 00:07:16,433 Okay. 163 00:07:16,500 --> 00:07:17,633 Yeah. 164 00:07:17,700 --> 00:07:19,666 But then in 2007 we said, you know what we're not doing? 165 00:07:19,733 --> 00:07:21,333 We're not working with people coming home 166 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:22,433 and we need to do that. 167 00:07:22,500 --> 00:07:24,900 So people coming home, they need jobs, 168 00:07:24,966 --> 00:07:28,033 they need healthcare, they need a place to live. 169 00:07:28,100 --> 00:07:31,233 How did you make the case that they need art? 170 00:07:31,300 --> 00:07:34,333 Because art can be practical, art can be useful. 171 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:37,000 And if you mine all the skills involved in art making, 172 00:07:37,066 --> 00:07:38,500 you actually have a lot. 173 00:07:38,566 --> 00:07:40,933 You have scaffolding building, you can get people also trained, 174 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:42,000 they can learn to work with a lift. 175 00:07:42,066 --> 00:07:43,266 There are all kinds of surfaces. 176 00:07:43,333 --> 00:07:47,266 There's house painting, there's community organizing. 177 00:07:47,333 --> 00:07:49,266 There's being a leader in the community, 178 00:07:49,333 --> 00:07:55,633 it's also remember we need to not just think about the skills, 179 00:07:55,700 --> 00:07:57,900 but we have to feed people's hearts and souls. 180 00:07:57,966 --> 00:08:01,600 We have to help them become resilient and gritty and be 181 00:08:01,666 --> 00:08:05,000 sort of like feel okay in their own skin and art can do that. 182 00:08:05,066 --> 00:08:06,200 Why? 183 00:08:06,266 --> 00:08:08,600 Because we approach everything with rigor and with love, 184 00:08:08,666 --> 00:08:11,800 we're embracing our constituents and saying that 185 00:08:11,866 --> 00:08:15,233 we see the glass half full and we are not judging. 186 00:08:15,300 --> 00:08:17,200 There is so much stigma in our society, 187 00:08:17,266 --> 00:08:19,466 it hovers over us and I say break it. 188 00:08:19,533 --> 00:08:21,033 Let's shift the paradigm. 189 00:08:21,100 --> 00:08:22,233 We can do this. 190 00:08:22,300 --> 00:08:24,800 We can reclaim public space and reclaim individual lives 191 00:08:24,866 --> 00:08:25,700 at the same time. 192 00:08:25,766 --> 00:08:27,966 [music] 193 00:08:28,033 --> 00:08:28,800 So at the beginning of this project 194 00:08:28,866 --> 00:08:30,033 we had a lot of engagement. 195 00:08:30,100 --> 00:08:33,800 There were multiple meetings in person with people with our 196 00:08:33,866 --> 00:08:34,900 Guild members, 197 00:08:34,966 --> 00:08:37,766 some men who are commuted from their prison terms. 198 00:08:37,833 --> 00:08:39,500 And when you say Guild, 199 00:08:39,566 --> 00:08:41,600 what's what do you mean by the Guild members? 200 00:08:41,666 --> 00:08:44,900 The Guild program is a group of youth and young men 201 00:08:44,966 --> 00:08:47,666 who are at risk that we, that we work with. 202 00:08:47,733 --> 00:08:50,333 Some of them come to us directly from prison and some 203 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:53,200 of them you know are are are considered at risk that we 204 00:08:53,266 --> 00:08:54,500 that we work with. 205 00:08:54,566 --> 00:08:57,733 What is it that you think the people you work with take away 206 00:08:57,800 --> 00:09:00,700 from the experience of working on a mural? 207 00:09:00,766 --> 00:09:03,233 I mean at the end of the day you just hope that its 208 00:09:03,300 --> 00:09:06,733 ownership, you know they they they ownership in the wall in 209 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:10,400 the final work of art, but then also that they feel like 210 00:09:10,466 --> 00:09:12,600 their voice was heard and their their experience is 211 00:09:12,666 --> 00:09:14,366 valued and reflected in the design. 212 00:09:14,433 --> 00:09:16,300 That's what I hope that everybody takes away. 213 00:09:19,666 --> 00:09:22,633 So what the team's doing today is very important because how 214 00:09:22,700 --> 00:09:24,266 this wall is primed 215 00:09:24,333 --> 00:09:27,333 dictates the health of the mural moving forward. 216 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:30,800 And then they're going to be transforming this into 217 00:09:30,866 --> 00:09:32,633 something really beautiful and magical, 218 00:09:32,700 --> 00:09:35,966 because I've seen the design and there's the leader, 219 00:09:36,033 --> 00:09:37,600 Dawan Williams. - And they're working hard too. 220 00:09:37,666 --> 00:09:38,300 What's up, Dawan? - Dawan, Dawan. 221 00:09:38,366 --> 00:09:39,133 Good to meet you, brother. 222 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:40,266 Good, good. 223 00:09:40,333 --> 00:09:42,866 So what you see here today, you know like Jane said, 224 00:09:42,933 --> 00:09:47,433 we had uh nice location in North Philadelphia you know 225 00:09:47,500 --> 00:09:50,533 the community demands a mural, they they demand the 226 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:53,033 beautification, you know of the City of Philadelphia. 227 00:09:53,100 --> 00:09:55,033 How do how do people get in the program? 228 00:09:55,100 --> 00:09:57,100 How does one become a member of The Guild 229 00:09:57,166 --> 00:09:58,366 I personally, 230 00:09:58,433 --> 00:10:00,933 I've come in contact with the Mural Arts Program when I was 231 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:04,566 at Graterford prison years ago and I was involved in a 232 00:10:04,633 --> 00:10:07,033 program that was geared towards reconnecting 233 00:10:07,100 --> 00:10:09,666 incarcerated fathers back with their children. 234 00:10:09,733 --> 00:10:13,133 And what Mural Arts did was they provided the artwork and 235 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:15,800 the art served as a vehicle that brought my family 236 00:10:15,866 --> 00:10:17,400 personally back together. 237 00:10:17,466 --> 00:10:22,033 So that mural is is here in Philadelphia and when I I 238 00:10:22,100 --> 00:10:24,333 returned home from prison and my my family seen that, 239 00:10:24,400 --> 00:10:26,466 it gives them a sense of empowerment. 240 00:10:26,533 --> 00:10:28,933 And what are the kinds of things that they're learning, 241 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:30,433 obviously how to paint. 242 00:10:30,500 --> 00:10:33,200 Well, we learned in basic introduction to carpentry, 243 00:10:33,266 --> 00:10:35,533 you know, teaching guys, young men, 244 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:36,966 and women how to work with their hands. 245 00:10:37,033 --> 00:10:39,900 We teach them a basic introduction to art class. 246 00:10:39,966 --> 00:10:42,733 And all the guys and young men and women that you see here 247 00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:44,233 today, this is their first-time painting. 248 00:10:44,300 --> 00:10:45,433 Really. 249 00:10:45,500 --> 00:10:46,533 This is their first time, This is their first experience 250 00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:47,666 wow. 251 00:10:47,733 --> 00:10:49,300 You know, and these, these are trades and skills that 252 00:10:49,366 --> 00:10:50,766 they take back home with them. 253 00:10:50,833 --> 00:10:52,200 You know they're able to help their families, 254 00:10:52,266 --> 00:10:53,533 They're able to help the community. 255 00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:56,300 You know they're they're able to add value you know and 256 00:10:56,366 --> 00:10:59,133 assets you know to to their their Armory. 257 00:10:59,200 --> 00:10:59,800 That's wonderful. 258 00:10:59,866 --> 00:11:00,633 It's very inspiring. 259 00:11:00,700 --> 00:11:01,833 Thank you for sharing that. 260 00:11:01,900 --> 00:11:04,633 Dawan is a real role model and and an incredible leader. 261 00:11:04,700 --> 00:11:07,866 And you know, we just believe strongly people shouldn't be 262 00:11:07,933 --> 00:11:11,900 defined by a part of their life where something went wrong. 263 00:11:11,966 --> 00:11:13,800 Right, the worst day of your life was not the 264 00:11:13,866 --> 00:11:15,733 last day of your life, the words of Jane Golden, you know? 265 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:16,900 That's right. 266 00:11:16,966 --> 00:11:18,766 And how did you get involved in the Guild? 267 00:11:18,833 --> 00:11:22,033 The Guild was a program that, of course it's for people 268 00:11:22,100 --> 00:11:24,700 that's reentering society from being incarcerated. 269 00:11:24,766 --> 00:11:28,200 So you know, I had a good word from a brother named Dewan, 270 00:11:28,266 --> 00:11:30,733 and he got me right into the program my first day home. 271 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:33,900 And I've been on a straight, narrow ever since, yeah. 272 00:11:33,966 --> 00:11:35,200 Yeah, and when, when you were locked up, 273 00:11:35,266 --> 00:11:37,400 were you thinking this is something that you could do 274 00:11:37,466 --> 00:11:38,766 when you came home? 275 00:11:38,833 --> 00:11:40,033 Oh yeah, for sure. 276 00:11:40,100 --> 00:11:43,333 I didn't know exactly what the program was about until I got 277 00:11:43,400 --> 00:11:44,566 into the program. 278 00:11:44,633 --> 00:11:47,233 And once I found out what it was about and the people that 279 00:11:47,300 --> 00:11:49,333 surrounded the program, that supported the program, 280 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:52,000 that fund the program, it was like being at home. 281 00:11:52,066 --> 00:11:52,833 Being at home? 282 00:11:52,900 --> 00:11:54,000 - Yeah - What do you mean? 283 00:11:54,066 --> 00:11:56,466 Like you know you feel home when you're in this program. 284 00:11:56,533 --> 00:11:57,833 You feel safe, you feel loved. 285 00:11:57,900 --> 00:12:01,333 You know that's just what this program give you. 286 00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:04,333 Growing up inside the city and me and 287 00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:08,966 misguided it just a lot it just you know we never really 288 00:12:09,033 --> 00:12:10,733 get to find our path until it's too late. 289 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:16,433 So now just it's it's more it's more light for us 290 00:12:16,500 --> 00:12:18,033 you know it's more hope. 291 00:12:18,100 --> 00:12:20,033 It's never too late. 292 00:12:20,100 --> 00:12:22,300 So, Akil, I heard you're the boss man. 293 00:12:22,366 --> 00:12:24,133 I'm not the boss man. 294 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:25,500 I'm I'm just a teacher. 295 00:12:25,566 --> 00:12:26,066 Okay. 296 00:12:26,133 --> 00:12:27,300 What what do you teach? 297 00:12:27,366 --> 00:12:30,766 I teach art here at the Guild, teaching art-based skills to 298 00:12:30,833 --> 00:12:33,900 kind of get guys back involved in the community in ways that 299 00:12:33,966 --> 00:12:36,400 repair some of the damage that they may have done, 300 00:12:36,466 --> 00:12:38,933 but ultimately help repair them. 301 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:43,600 Restorative justice is not just about restoring the community, 302 00:12:43,666 --> 00:12:45,500 it's also about restoring the individual. 303 00:12:45,566 --> 00:12:48,766 Well, some of these guys don't really have other options and 304 00:12:48,833 --> 00:12:52,300 to see other options being given not just to to me, 305 00:12:52,366 --> 00:12:56,400 but to others, and to see it proliferated in this community 306 00:12:56,466 --> 00:12:57,766 is really beautiful. 307 00:12:57,833 --> 00:12:58,933 Because at the end of the day, 308 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:01,033 there are real people behind these murals. 309 00:13:01,100 --> 00:13:04,833 It's not paint and a wall, it's this blood, 310 00:13:04,900 --> 00:13:07,733 sweat and tears of everyone that has worked on this wall. 311 00:13:08,066 --> 00:13:11,266 The Crown, a mural of the heart of Philadelphia, 312 00:13:11,333 --> 00:13:14,966 is a living world that has evolved in response to ongoing 313 00:13:15,033 --> 00:13:20,400 protests and the fight to end systemic racism and inequality. 314 00:13:20,466 --> 00:13:24,133 I spoke to its award-winning creator, Russell Craig. 315 00:13:24,200 --> 00:13:27,433 During the 2020 uprising, the riots, 316 00:13:27,500 --> 00:13:31,400 and things like that, Jane Golden asked me to participate 317 00:13:31,466 --> 00:13:33,966 in putting a mural here to represent the people, 318 00:13:34,033 --> 00:13:35,466 highlighting the people, 319 00:13:35,533 --> 00:13:38,466 the names of victims of police brutality, 320 00:13:38,533 --> 00:13:40,266 people of color just wanted to give the people 321 00:13:40,333 --> 00:13:42,766 something to believe in, like some hope. 322 00:13:42,833 --> 00:13:45,100 Coming home is is so tough. For so many... 323 00:13:45,166 --> 00:13:45,666 Yeah. 324 00:13:45,733 --> 00:13:46,533 ...brothers and sisters. 325 00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:50,666 What made your journey home successful? 326 00:13:50,733 --> 00:13:53,966 Believing in yourself like I believed. 327 00:13:54,033 --> 00:13:58,333 And people may not understand what it means to become 328 00:13:58,400 --> 00:14:01,800 stronger from some of those tough experiences. 329 00:14:01,866 --> 00:14:04,000 I had an epiphany one day to change it around 330 00:14:04,066 --> 00:14:05,533 and art would be my tool. 331 00:14:05,600 --> 00:14:08,133 And where was that epiphany? 332 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:11,366 In my insides, you know, like I just felt it, 333 00:14:11,433 --> 00:14:12,633 that it was time to make a change. 334 00:14:12,700 --> 00:14:15,100 And did art help? 335 00:14:15,166 --> 00:14:16,833 Of course it was the tools all I had. 336 00:14:16,900 --> 00:14:20,633 Plan A with no Plan B, all, or nothing. 337 00:14:20,700 --> 00:14:23,066 So you got to believe, and here we are. 338 00:14:23,133 --> 00:14:24,033 Here we are. 339 00:14:24,100 --> 00:14:24,966 Congratulations my brother. 340 00:14:25,033 --> 00:14:26,266 All righty. Thank you. 341 00:14:27,866 --> 00:14:31,233 Jesse Krimes is a highly respected working artist whose 342 00:14:31,300 --> 00:14:36,133 career since he came home focuses on criminal injustice 343 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:37,900 and prison reform. 344 00:14:37,966 --> 00:14:41,133 I spoke to him near a piece to honor his mentor, 345 00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:46,000 James Yaya Hough, it's called Prophesied. 346 00:14:46,066 --> 00:14:51,700 So I was incarcerated in federal prison and I served 347 00:14:51,766 --> 00:14:54,466 five years of a six-year sentence. 348 00:14:54,533 --> 00:14:59,200 And while I was in there, the director of the Restorative 349 00:14:59,266 --> 00:15:02,366 Justice program with the Mural Arts of Philadelphia came in 350 00:15:02,433 --> 00:15:04,233 to visit the prison. 351 00:15:04,300 --> 00:15:08,333 And you know, I got to show her a little bit of my art and 352 00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:12,166 she basically offered me a job on the spot and said that when 353 00:15:12,233 --> 00:15:15,200 I come home to look her up at Mural Arts and they would have 354 00:15:15,266 --> 00:15:19,933 a job waiting for me at the with the with the Guild. 355 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:22,300 And may I ask what you were incarcerated for? 356 00:15:22,366 --> 00:15:26,500 Yes, I was incarcerated for on drug charges. 357 00:15:26,566 --> 00:15:28,200 And while you were going through all this, 358 00:15:28,266 --> 00:15:30,733 were you still making art in prison? 359 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:32,000 I was. 360 00:15:32,066 --> 00:15:37,133 It was actually the thing that I began to do almost immediately. 361 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:39,900 When you go into the prison system, 362 00:15:39,966 --> 00:15:42,766 they basically take everything from you, right? 363 00:15:42,833 --> 00:15:46,500 So they strip you from your family and friends and 364 00:15:46,566 --> 00:15:50,766 everything that can kind of like that forms your identity. 365 00:15:50,833 --> 00:15:52,966 Artwork was one of the only things that they couldn't take 366 00:15:53,033 --> 00:15:54,166 away from me. 367 00:15:54,233 --> 00:15:56,966 And so I knew very early on that it was something that I 368 00:15:57,033 --> 00:15:59,133 had to invest myself in. 369 00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:03,100 The system is basically designed to crush you like 370 00:16:03,166 --> 00:16:06,633 it's designed to destroy who you are as a person, 371 00:16:06,700 --> 00:16:09,766 take away your dignity, take away your sense of self. 372 00:16:09,833 --> 00:16:15,400 And so by making artwork, it immediately provided something 373 00:16:15,466 --> 00:16:18,100 of value to me that they could not touch. 374 00:16:18,166 --> 00:16:21,733 You know, people who are both incarcerated and formerly 375 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:25,800 incarcerated face a significant amount of barriers 376 00:16:25,866 --> 00:16:31,433 to not just reenter society like on a very basic level and 377 00:16:31,500 --> 00:16:36,066 live with dignity, but it's very difficult to be visible 378 00:16:36,133 --> 00:16:37,200 and valued. 379 00:16:37,266 --> 00:16:40,433 Like there is a deep, deep stigma that is attached to 380 00:16:40,500 --> 00:16:42,766 people after they've been incarcerated. 381 00:16:42,833 --> 00:16:46,466 All it takes is for, you know, one or two people to actually 382 00:16:46,533 --> 00:16:51,533 see you and value you and Mural Arts was that thing for me. 383 00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:55,300 Being seen in that way and being valued in that way was 384 00:16:55,366 --> 00:16:57,933 something that I it gave me a very solid foundation 385 00:16:58,000 --> 00:16:59,166 to stand on 386 00:16:59,233 --> 00:17:01,700 and it was something that I was able to then build from. 387 00:17:02,366 --> 00:17:05,733 That's the type of investment that I think is necessary for 388 00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:09,200 people who have been incarcerated. 389 00:17:09,266 --> 00:17:11,300 And so even in that vein, like since then I've, 390 00:17:11,366 --> 00:17:14,866 I've gone on to start my own fellowship, 391 00:17:14,933 --> 00:17:17,300 which supports people who come home from prison. 392 00:17:17,366 --> 00:17:19,700 And so it's like, you know, the support that was offered 393 00:17:19,766 --> 00:17:22,533 to me from Mural Arts is now something that I'm able to 394 00:17:22,600 --> 00:17:24,633 kind of replicate and offer to other people. 395 00:17:24,700 --> 00:17:28,733 And through that we're able to build a much more kind of just 396 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:32,900 and equitable world that is not based off of punishment 397 00:17:32,966 --> 00:17:37,000 and retribution, but more on advancement and community and 398 00:17:37,066 --> 00:17:39,333 how we move forward in this world. 399 00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:44,166 Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter is her government name. 400 00:17:44,233 --> 00:17:47,433 Her rap name is Isis Tha Saviour. 401 00:17:47,500 --> 00:17:50,033 She's spent a harrowing time in prison 402 00:17:50,100 --> 00:17:52,500 where she gave birth to her son. 403 00:17:52,566 --> 00:17:57,400 Now she's an acclaimed artist who creates socially conscious 404 00:17:57,466 --> 00:18:04,633 music, film and visual art based on her own life journey. 405 00:18:04,700 --> 00:18:07,066 Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter. 406 00:18:07,133 --> 00:18:07,600 Yes. 407 00:18:07,666 --> 00:18:08,900 You are the artist. 408 00:18:08,966 --> 00:18:12,200 I am the woman behind this design. 409 00:18:12,266 --> 00:18:13,433 I love this. 410 00:18:13,500 --> 00:18:15,666 You're a successful artist. You're an accomplished artist. 411 00:18:15,733 --> 00:18:16,933 Right? 412 00:18:17,833 --> 00:18:19,266 What's your story? 413 00:18:19,333 --> 00:18:20,700 So, you know, I grew up 414 00:18:20,766 --> 00:18:24,933 in a very under resourced neighborhood. 415 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:29,000 You know, we didn't have textbooks in our schools. 416 00:18:29,066 --> 00:18:31,000 And then on top of that, my mother, 417 00:18:31,066 --> 00:18:32,266 she had schizophrenia. 418 00:18:32,333 --> 00:18:35,400 So, you know, there was a lot of fragmentation and 419 00:18:35,466 --> 00:18:37,800 interruption and disruption in that area of my life and, 420 00:18:37,866 --> 00:18:39,900 you know, being passed on to family members. 421 00:18:39,966 --> 00:18:43,200 You know but I want to rewind a little bit because I always 422 00:18:43,266 --> 00:18:44,733 loved art as a kid, you know. - Yes. 423 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:46,700 But just not having the infrastructure and the support 424 00:18:46,766 --> 00:18:49,033 that I needed to, you know, cultivate, 425 00:18:49,100 --> 00:18:51,066 and nurture those skills. 426 00:18:51,133 --> 00:18:54,066 I found myself back in Philadelphia trying to get, 427 00:18:54,133 --> 00:18:57,466 you know, a job, McDonald's, whatever could hire me. 428 00:18:57,533 --> 00:18:59,300 People told me I was overqualified 429 00:18:59,366 --> 00:19:00,700 or I just never heard back. 430 00:19:00,766 --> 00:19:03,233 And then I found myself doing survival crimes inside of the 431 00:19:03,300 --> 00:19:07,033 criminal economy, just trying to feed myself. 432 00:19:07,100 --> 00:19:12,466 But after my incarceration, which was when I the day 433 00:19:12,533 --> 00:19:16,066 I turned nine months pregnant, I was arrested. 434 00:19:16,133 --> 00:19:21,833 And after about three3 days in the prison system, 435 00:19:21,900 --> 00:19:24,633 I was also nine months pregnant so I went into labor 436 00:19:24,700 --> 00:19:28,133 and that was kind of like the the eye-opening moment for me 437 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:31,900 where I knew that things had to change. 438 00:19:31,966 --> 00:19:34,100 And you gave birth in prison? 439 00:19:34,166 --> 00:19:40,300 Yes, after 43 hours of being shackled to a bed at Einstein 440 00:19:40,366 --> 00:19:43,433 Hospital, I gave birth to my first and only child. 441 00:19:43,500 --> 00:19:45,500 You were, and you gave birth while you were shot. 442 00:19:45,566 --> 00:19:51,133 Yes, at the time, in 2007, Pennsylvania did not have any 443 00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:55,166 laws that prevented the shackling of pregnant women. 444 00:19:55,233 --> 00:19:56,933 And it ironically, like I said, 445 00:19:57,000 --> 00:20:00,066 I'm a multimedia, multidisciplinary artist. 446 00:20:00,133 --> 00:20:03,400 So I I created a film around that experience called 447 00:20:03,466 --> 00:20:04,666 Ain't I a Woman? 448 00:20:04,733 --> 00:20:06,900 It was kind of cathartic for me to go back and really 449 00:20:06,966 --> 00:20:10,233 realize the injustice that had occurred. 450 00:20:10,300 --> 00:20:12,566 So when when I hear you talking about your art and 451 00:20:12,633 --> 00:20:14,366 your activism. - Right. 452 00:20:14,433 --> 00:20:16,500 They seem intertwined. 453 00:20:16,566 --> 00:20:21,533 They are, you know, for me, you know, 454 00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:23,166 like Nina Simone said, you know, 455 00:20:23,233 --> 00:20:25,366 an artist should reflect the times. 456 00:20:25,433 --> 00:20:29,800 And that's what I I try and I, you know, ascribe to. 457 00:20:29,866 --> 00:20:35,666 My work reflects the moments that we live in and I I try to, 458 00:20:35,733 --> 00:20:36,833 I try to speak to those. 459 00:20:36,900 --> 00:20:39,400 And like I said before, I don't believe that an artist 460 00:20:39,466 --> 00:20:41,933 should stay, you know, in the studio. 461 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:44,200 We should, you know, take that work further. 462 00:20:44,266 --> 00:20:46,066 The conversation is just the beginning. 463 00:20:46,133 --> 00:20:47,966 Dig deep. 464 00:20:48,033 --> 00:20:52,100 Dawan Williams served too many years in Graterford prison and 465 00:20:52,166 --> 00:20:55,133 when he came home, passionately dedicated himself 466 00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:59,966 to making up for the time he lost as a father and as a man. 467 00:21:00,033 --> 00:21:03,833 He's become an inspirational leader in the restorative 468 00:21:03,900 --> 00:21:05,500 justice program. 469 00:21:05,566 --> 00:21:08,066 I met him and his son Dawan, 470 00:21:08,133 --> 00:21:11,233 next to fathers and children together. 471 00:21:11,300 --> 00:21:13,433 What's this, tell us about this beautiful artwork. 472 00:21:13,500 --> 00:21:16,366 So what do you what do you see right here is the phenomenal 473 00:21:16,433 --> 00:21:19,800 fact FACT fathers and children together ... 474 00:21:19,866 --> 00:21:21,033 Okay. 475 00:21:21,100 --> 00:21:23,233 Mural and this mural was done done inside of the walls at 476 00:21:23,300 --> 00:21:24,700 Greaterford prison. 477 00:21:24,766 --> 00:21:28,133 And you talked about the father looking down at his son. 478 00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:30,433 Yeah, I used to because I had to sit when when we was first 479 00:21:30,500 --> 00:21:33,266 drawing it, I had to stand in front of little Dawan like this 480 00:21:33,333 --> 00:21:35,966 because this this a part right here of our program 481 00:21:36,033 --> 00:21:37,300 that's called Air it Out. 482 00:21:37,366 --> 00:21:38,766 So while you in the visitor room, 483 00:21:38,833 --> 00:21:41,033 it's 15 fathers, it's fifteen sons. 484 00:21:41,100 --> 00:21:41,766 Mmm. 485 00:21:41,833 --> 00:21:42,633 Right? 486 00:21:42,700 --> 00:21:43,800 And then you have an external team. 487 00:21:43,866 --> 00:21:45,633 And I had to get up in the circle in front of all these 488 00:21:45,700 --> 00:21:48,500 other fathers and sons, and I had to look little Dawan in 489 00:21:48,566 --> 00:21:50,966 his face, and I had to apologize to him for being in 490 00:21:51,033 --> 00:21:52,700 prison and not being there for him. 491 00:21:52,766 --> 00:21:53,433 Wow. 492 00:21:53,500 --> 00:21:54,566 And making those bad decisions. 493 00:21:54,633 --> 00:21:57,533 And as a man, you know, coming from these communities, 494 00:21:57,600 --> 00:21:59,466 we've never been taught to have emotion. 495 00:21:59,533 --> 00:22:01,266 We was never taught to apologize. 496 00:22:01,333 --> 00:22:03,466 We was never really taught when we were right or wrong, 497 00:22:03,533 --> 00:22:04,633 weak, or strong. 498 00:22:04,700 --> 00:22:06,200 You know, that could be a bit much. 499 00:22:06,266 --> 00:22:07,600 It's not a dry eye in the room. 500 00:22:07,666 --> 00:22:10,600 And what was that like to have your dad apologizing to you? 501 00:22:10,666 --> 00:22:14,933 I'm not going to lie, probably made me want to shed a tear 502 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:18,966 because that is crazy that my dad is away that well, 503 00:22:19,033 --> 00:22:22,200 he was away in jail, and he wasn't with me to like, 504 00:22:22,266 --> 00:22:23,133 he said. 505 00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:24,700 Go on my first bike ride, tie my shoes, 506 00:22:24,766 --> 00:22:26,933 teach me how to cook, teach me how to wash clothes, 507 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:28,166 stuff like that. 508 00:22:28,233 --> 00:22:31,233 But we we're going to leave that in the past that we just 509 00:22:31,300 --> 00:22:33,033 going to focus on now. 510 00:22:33,100 --> 00:22:35,500 When you get to know a child, get to know their favorite 511 00:22:35,566 --> 00:22:37,866 color, you know their basketball players, 512 00:22:37,933 --> 00:22:39,233 we got to know that about one another. 513 00:22:39,300 --> 00:22:40,333 And I'm wondering if he still know. 514 00:22:40,400 --> 00:22:44,133 You know who my favorite basketball player is? 515 00:22:44,200 --> 00:22:46,300 Oh, LeBron, LeBron, LeBron. 516 00:22:46,366 --> 00:22:47,233 Remember my favorite movie? 517 00:22:47,300 --> 00:22:48,566 Beverly Hill Cops. 518 00:22:48,633 --> 00:22:49,000 Right. 519 00:22:49,066 --> 00:22:49,666 Yeah. 520 00:22:49,733 --> 00:22:50,900 Remember my favorite color? 521 00:22:50,966 --> 00:22:51,533 Red. 522 00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:52,266 Favorite food? 523 00:22:52,333 --> 00:22:53,066 Fried chicken. 524 00:22:53,133 --> 00:22:54,100 Yeah. 525 00:22:54,166 --> 00:22:55,100 Yeah. 526 00:22:55,166 --> 00:22:56,166 That's good. 527 00:22:56,233 --> 00:22:57,833 And that's very important because think about it, 528 00:22:57,900 --> 00:22:59,766 it's a lot of fathers living in the home with their 529 00:22:59,833 --> 00:23:01,833 children, and they don't know their favorite color, 530 00:23:01,900 --> 00:23:03,066 they don't know their favorite book, 531 00:23:03,133 --> 00:23:05,666 they don't know their favorite ball player and vice versa. 532 00:23:05,733 --> 00:23:07,266 So we got to make sure that we're really, 533 00:23:07,333 --> 00:23:09,300 really, really tapping into these children. 534 00:23:09,366 --> 00:23:13,000 And fortunately for us, we was able to use art as a vehicle 535 00:23:13,066 --> 00:23:14,200 to be able to do that. 536 00:23:14,266 --> 00:23:16,500 With the young men and women in the Guild program, 537 00:23:16,566 --> 00:23:18,266 I know what it's like being 18, 538 00:23:18,333 --> 00:23:21,400 19 and 20 years old and having no direction, 539 00:23:21,466 --> 00:23:23,566 nobody out here to tell you the right thing. 540 00:23:23,633 --> 00:23:25,733 Everybody's telling you wrong. 541 00:23:25,800 --> 00:23:27,566 So when everybody's telling you wrong, 542 00:23:27,633 --> 00:23:29,733 the only thing really left to do is wrong. 543 00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:32,366 So now, for the first time in our lives, 544 00:23:32,433 --> 00:23:35,166 we're all from different neighborhoods in a different 545 00:23:35,233 --> 00:23:38,466 part of the city, and we're listening to somebody who used 546 00:23:38,533 --> 00:23:42,933 to be into that lifestyle that everybody uplifts and glorifies. 547 00:23:43,000 --> 00:23:46,666 But I'm telling them not to do that because it's all a lie. 548 00:23:46,733 --> 00:23:50,433 Me knowing that because I was able to sit in in time out for 549 00:23:50,500 --> 00:23:53,000 10 years, six days, 12 hours, 37 minutes, 550 00:23:53,066 --> 00:23:56,266 and 13 seconds straight, I learned. 551 00:23:56,333 --> 00:23:57,866 I learned. 552 00:23:57,933 --> 00:24:01,466 I learned not through lip service but through action. 553 00:24:01,533 --> 00:24:04,100 So what you see is what you got. 554 00:24:04,166 --> 00:24:08,333 You run the largest public works project in the country, 555 00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:10,033 so what's next? 556 00:24:10,100 --> 00:24:12,633 What's next, is that we scale up and we just 557 00:24:12,700 --> 00:24:15,333 keep moving forward and we work with cities across the 558 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:19,066 country and the world because art is powerful and it ignites 559 00:24:19,133 --> 00:24:20,600 change and transformation. 560 00:24:20,666 --> 00:24:21,933 I believe it with all my heart. 561 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:23,533 Thank you, Jane Golden. 562 00:24:23,600 --> 00:24:24,700 Thank you. 563 00:24:26,166 --> 00:24:29,333 Some of the artists and community leaders we met went 564 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:33,633 to elite schools, and others were educated on Philly's 565 00:24:33,700 --> 00:24:35,333 hardest streets. 566 00:24:35,933 --> 00:24:39,566 Together, they're making their city more beautiful and more 567 00:24:39,633 --> 00:24:41,966 welcoming for everybody. 568 00:24:43,033 --> 00:24:45,100 We're all works in progress. 569 00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:50,000 Sometimes we have to start over or add or subtract. 570 00:24:50,066 --> 00:24:55,866 Here's to the power of creation in art and life. 571 00:24:56,666 --> 00:25:06,666 [music] 572 00:25:11,633 --> 00:25:12,000 [music] 573 00:25:38,300 --> 00:25:42,833 Returning Citizens is made possible by ... 574 00:26:12,300 --> 00:26:16,733 The United Way, fostering success of those who as they 575 00:26:16,800 --> 00:26:18,700 return to our neighborhoods, 576 00:26:18,766 --> 00:26:21,466 remain a largely untapped resource. 577 00:26:21,866 --> 00:26:23,666 The formally incarcerated. 578 00:26:23,966 --> 00:26:27,666 Waterman II Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation 579 00:26:27,733 --> 00:26:30,200 at the recommendation of David Hass. 580 00:26:30,266 --> 00:26:32,600 The Independence Foundation.