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July/August 2007 |
Art Exhibit Focuses on
Youth in the Correctional System | On
October 4, 2007 from 5 to 7 pm, the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families
will host an art exhibit called "Art from the Inside: Unlocking the Creativity
of Incarcerated Youth," at Bucketworks, 1340 N. 6th St. in Milwaukee. The exhibit
will feature work created by children who have been incarcerated in the Wisconsin
correctional system, either juvenile or adult. Artwork will be displayed along
with an artist's statement in which artists describe their work and their experiences
as incarcerated youth.  | The
art exhibit is intended to illuminate the experiences of the thousands of Wisconsin
youth who are incarcerated in adult facilities each year. In the mid-1990s, Wisconsin
changed its laws to treat all 17-year-olds as adults in the justice system. Since
that time, we have seen an influx of young people in our prison and jails. In
fact, according to a recent national report, Wisconsin leads the nation in the
rate at which we incarcerate minority youth in adult prisons. The vast majority
of 17-year-olds who are arrested are accused of low-level crimes; only 1 percent
are arrested for the most serious, violent crimes.
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For
information on supporting this event, please contact Megan
McGrorty at 608-284-0580, ext. 316. A
Gift of Pureness Last night, while awake
I had a bizarre
dream
Of a man sitting by my side
Holding the best gift, I've ever seen
A mirror and a dozen roses
Each flashing with my reflection
With an
error on each petal
Withering and longing for correction
While the mirror
sat with a blur
Cracked on each side
Bringing back memories
Of things
I've tried to hide
Each gift showing me
My mistakes without reluctance
While the man pleaded
For me to stop this self destruction
I tried
to walk away
But my feet were not there
So my body remained stuck
As
if my soul, did not want me to go anywhere
Again he tried to give me these
gifts
This time I could fully understand
That the purity of these gifts
Was the push for change, now at hand --Shaqouia Hoffman
May 24th 2007 | |
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