Stand by Your Art

Stand by Your Art was a feature of multiple public programs and involved artist-participants who made future IDs (or their family member representatives) standing next to their works of art and discussing them with visitors. These incredibly resonant conversations were another way in which Future IDs at Alcatraz helped to shift the narrative around reentry, reintegration, and second chances. This gallery of images features Future IDs artist-participants standing by their art and/or sharing their stories of trauma and transformation in the circle of engagement at the Future IDs at Alcatraz Release Party.

KIRN KIM, Future IDs at Alcatraz Core Project Collaborator

“So much of your life is identified by the card you carry; your license, your certifications, your business card. For those who are systems impacted, your life for a long time was identified by your prison ID. So, rather than ask, what do you want your life to have been? We ask people to project into the future, what would you like your life to be?”

DR. LUIS GARCIA, Future IDs at Alcatraz Core Project Collaborator

“Having formed many personal relationships in the community through my work, I have a deep understanding of stigma and finding one’s voice in society, always mindful of my philosophy that there are certain truths born out of one’s suffering that can be transformed to make a difference in the lives of others.”

SABRINA REID, Future IDs at Alcatraz Core Project Collaborator

“Everyone deserves to dream about what they want in life. But for many of us who return to life after incarceration, it can feel like dreaming is a privilege for others. For me, the power of this project is the license it has given me to dream again, the space it holds for contemplation and moving towards fuller humanity and citizenship.”

PHILLIP LESTER, Future IDs at Alcatraz Artist-Participant

“For the reentry community, validation is monumental. It makes people feel that they have a stake and are included in a process that is so embraced. It’s not unusual to ask kids what they want to be when they grow up; but adults, we don’t ask anymore, even though adults have aspirations and are still growing. Being at Alcatraz makes [the Future IDs artists] feel they’ve done something of importance. It’s going somewhere.”

CANDICE PRICE, Future IDs at Alcatraz Artist-Participant

“Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., Harriet Tubman, and Rosa Parks are no longer here, so it’s up to me and it’s up to the people to continue to walk in their footsteps, to create a better path and to make a change. And I feel like in order for there to be a change in the community, you have to change first, and this is me changing.”

JENNIFER LEAHY, Future IDs at Alcatraz Artist-Participant

“Until I acknowledged my prisoner ID and pulled it up, I didn’t realize how much it was still controlling me.”

JD MELENDEZ, Future IDs at Alcatraz Artist-Participant

“One of the important messages that I get to share with the guys that I work with in my volunteer experience is that I really, really want them to know that they matter. I want them to know that, yes, you can be in prison, and yes, you can live a life of violence and gangs and who knows what else, but you can also have a dream, you can also have a vision for yourself. And if you just love yourself a little more, and if you’re willing to work hard for it, anything is possible.”

CIRESE LABERGE-BADER, Future IDs at Alcatraz Artist-Participant

“I found that a lot of times men get the majority of attention for having been incarcerated or in prison. And people tend to be proud of their growth and their movement forward and where they came from. And women still seem to be stigmatized by it and have a form of embarrassment. Women still seem to be looked at as ‘What do you mean you weren’t there for your family?’”

LUMUMBA EDWARDS, Future IDs at Alcatraz Artist-Participant

“I’m trying to stop the violence within the community by letting them know the consequences of going to prison when you get there. I’m just trying my best to save a life. And I assured those guys behind those walls that I know that’s what they want to do. They want to get out and give back to the community. And they know that for the rest of my life, because of a crime I committed, I’m going to make amends. I already know that. That’s guaranteed. And I’m doing just that.”

FELIX MIRANDA, Future IDs at Alcatraz Artist-Participant

“A good friend of mine made an analogy about a candle I need in darkness to illuminate. So, you have to even smile in dark times, you know? You have to break that with a smile even when it gets tough. ‘Revolutionary, breaking the cycle with a smile.’”

JARRED WILLIAMS, Future IDs at Alcatraz Artist-Participant

“I consider myself someone that repurposes prisons and jails. It’s just that sometimes those are currently occupied, so we have to close them.”

ADRIELLE PITTMAN, Future IDs at Alcatraz Artist-Participant

“Instead of using my actual ID or any work badge, I used a poem to explain what an ID was to me. I use the abbreviation ID to explain Ignited Dedication. A fire can’t be a fire without being lit. And to be lit you have to be ignited. And to be ignited you have to have fuel. And that’s what lights us, our dedication. Our ignited dedication is what gets us to where we’re going. It’s what gets us through the day. It’s what gives us everything that we have and everything that we’re going for.”