Texas Art for Justice Forum: A Cultural Reform Discussion

The Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC) , in collaboration with California Lawyers for the Arts (CLA) and TALA, will convene the Texas Art for Justice Forum.

 

Saturday, July 14, 2018

9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Houston Museum of African American Culture

4807 Caroline Street

Houston, TX 77004

Register here for the forum

 

Join HMAAC, TALA, CLA and Texans for the Arts in dialogue and discussions geared toward recommendations to advance criminal justice reform through arts engagement. The forum is designed to expand the role that the arts can play in addressing mass incarceration and criminal justice reform as part of a nationwide discussion in six states.

As part of this forum, the Museum will hold panel discussions that will include legislators, arts and criminal justice reform advocates and returned citizens, will facilitate dialogues in breakout sessions and will curate a month long exhibition of artwork created by incarcerated individuals and returned citizens. This program is funded by the Art for Justice Fund, the Andy Warhol Foundation, the Quentin Hancock Fund and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Admission is free, but your RSVP  is requested in advance by Thursday, July 12. Lunch will be provided for preregistered attendees.

Schedule:

9:30 – 10:00        Registration, Breakfast, Networking

10:00 – 10:10      Welcome Remarks

John Guess, CEO, Houston Museum of African American Culture

Alma Robinson, Executive Director, California Lawyers for the Arts

10:10 – 10:40      Keynote Speaker

Kathryn Griffin-Grinan, 2017 Rothko Chapel Oscar Romero Award Recipient

10:45 – 12:00      Panel 1: Setting The Stage

State Representative Garnet Coleman, Texas House of Representatives District 147

John Abodeely, CEO, Houston Arts Alliance

Gary Gibbs, Executive Director, Texas Commission on the Arts, Moderator

Sandra Guerra Thompson, Director, Criminal Justice Institute, University of Houston Law Center

Jeremy Osborne, Assistant Director of Education, Austin Classical Guitar

12:00 – 12:45      Lunch Break

12:45 – 1:05        SaulPaul Performance

1:15 – 2:30           Panel 2: Criminal Justice and the Arts

State Representative James White, Texas House of Representatives District 19

State Representative Harold Dutton Jr, Texas House of Representatives District 142

Leah Pinney, Executive Director, Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, Moderator

SaulPaul, Musician and Activist

Raphael Travis, Associate Professor, Texas State University School of Social Work

2:30 – 2:45           Afternoon Break

2:45 – 4:30           Breakout Sessions covering the following topics

  • Bail Reform and Other Policy Issues
  • Incarcerated Women
  • Restorative Justice
  • Juvenile Justice
  • Program Development, Evaluation, and Funding

Sessions to be led by experts including

Kim Anderson, Principal, Austin ISD at Gardner Betts

Ann S. Graham, Executive Director, Texans for the Arts

Jay Jenkins, JD, Harris County Project Attorney, Texas Criminal Justice Coalition

Derek Mudd, Program Administrator, Texas Commission on the Arts

Bianca Neal, ReRoute Music Group, Visual Artist and Filmmaker

Douglas Smith, MSSW, Senior Policy Analyst, Texas Criminal Justice Coalition

Birgit Walker, Executive Director, Children’s Prison Art Project

Plus members of other panels

4:30 – 5:15           Panel 3: Next Steps

Gary Gibbs, Executive Director, Texas Commission on the Arts

Ann S. Graham, Executive Director, Texans for the Arts

John Guess, CEO, Houston Museum of African American Culture

Alma Robinson, Executive Director, California Lawyers for the Arts

5:15 – 6:00           Closing Reception