This timeline shows a small portion of the creative and activist work that has been undertaken over the years. Place your cursor on the grey box and move it to the right to read, watch and take direct action on current legislation and efforts on our collaborators' behalf. Thank you for your interest, support, and time.
The Art & Incarceration class strives to develop a collective process of creative and political change where 'inside' and 'outside' artists are working side by side to address the legacies of racism, white supremacy, and mass incarceration.
Numerous scholars and artists have shaped this project over the years - this work would not have been possible without the care, labor, and insights of Dr. Reggie Daniels, Reyna Brown, Rayvon Williamson, Freddy Gutierrez, Calina Lawrence, Elle Jansen, Nicky Martinez, Kalea Francesca, Emile DeWeaver and the inside and outside students.
professors biographies
Amie Dowling (she/her)
Amie Dowling creates dance and theater for the stage, film, and community settings The most recent piece, the Price of Owning Everything, examines white supremacy culture's socioeconomic traps and social values. Film collaborations Well Contested Sites (2013) and Separate Sentences (2018) have won national and international recognition. The films along with their study guides are used in classrooms as tools to engage in conversations about mass incarceration. Amie is a founding member of the Artistic Ensemble at San Quentin Prison and a Professor in the Performing Arts Department at the University of San Francisco.
Reyna Brown (she/her)
Reyna Brown is an artist, leader, activist, poet, teacher, director, and facilitator. As a teaching artist, Reyna has worked with students ranging from kindergarten to adults. Reyna uses storytelling and interactive theatre activities to create a playful atmosphere for communities to engage in difficult conversations and meaningful reflections about systems of oppression in America. She graduated from the University of San Francisco with a BA in Performing Arts & Social Justice: Theater and a minor in Peace and Justice Studies in 2019. In 2019, she interned with Governor Newsom’s legal clemency team where she advocated for the rights of those who are currently incarcerated to a fair chance at commutation. Reyna has been co-facilitating the PACE course for the past four years.
House Dow (they/them)
House Dow is a stage and zoom manager, lighting programmer, and stagehand. This is their second semester with PACE and eighth with PASJ, having previously worked on PASJ’s 20th Anniversary Festival; recent theatre, music, and dance mainstages; and Senior Projects. In their year with PACE, House has particularly enjoyed seeing how zoom (and, more broadly, performance) can bring communities together and provide a space for connection in a way that is not often apparent in other venues.
Art & Incarceration Spring 2022
a branch of Performing Arts & Community Exchange