"Open Art Sessions" is a program designed for women experiencing incarceration to explore storytelling through various mediums of art, including creative writing, poetry, sketches, paintings, beading, and textile art. Art created during the sessions will reflect a theme chosen collectively by the participating artists. Participants in the program will have the opportunity to publish their original works of art through an accompanying publication: the "Open Art Sessions" Zine.
The purpose of this program is to provide women experiencing incarceration an outlet to explore their inner stories - the ones they wish the world to know about them and their experience. Through meaningful conversations and reflective practices, the program invites participants to share in an intimate, creative space curated for self-expression and healing.
In order to source art materials for these sessions, we're looking to the community to contribute! By donating art supplies (visual art supplies, textile or fabric art supplies, beading supplies, magazines for collage making, etc.) or funds, you'll be supporting this transformative opportunity for women experiencing incarceration.
The "Open Art Sessions" initiative is facilitated by Zainab Azhar and Ali Daoud Smith and is part of IslamicFamily's Prison Programming, Re-Entry Support, and Research division.
