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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

The Writing on the Wall

Cameron Blaylock, “The Writing on the Wall,” 2023.

Mar 10 – July 9, 2023

Hank Willis Thomas and Dr. Baz Dreisinger want to put you somewhere no one ever wants to be: inside a prison cell. Thomas, a conceptual artist, and Dreisinger, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, have built upon a mutual interest in combating injustice to create their first collaborative installation. It features the letters and sketches of incarcerated people from across the United States, which paper the walls, ceilings, and floors of spaces that match the dimensions of jail cells. Standing in the very place the writer stood, visitors may reach a deeper understanding of the experiences conveyed on the walls—and through this deeper understanding, perhaps find greater empathy. —Paulina Prosnitz