Birmingham connects community partners with 'Concrete, Steel & Paint'

The lobby was buzzing with activity at the Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Center in Birmingham, AL. A pre-screening reception invited guests to gather early, schmooze, and take some time to peruse the display tables assembled with an array of resources. This included The Restorative Justice Team of the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church who were on hand with brochures about restorative justice and information about an effort they are spearheading to connect faith-based groups in north Alabama engaged in restorative justice and prison outreach ministries; Justice and Mercy (JAM), – a coalition providing education and action on the death penalty; Kairos a prison ministry network serving incarcerated men, women and children, their families and others working in prison settings; and Hands On Birmingham connecting people with volunteer opportunities to serve their community.

A steady flow of people streamed into the auditorium and as the seats filled, the crowd numbered close to 100! Among them, Foster Cook, Founder and Director of Treatment Alternatives for Safer Communities brought a group of close to 30 people, which included TASC staff and clients. TASC offers an intensive case management program for criminal offenders with substance abuse problems, providing increased access to rehabilitation services and community-based sentencing alternatives to help them treat their addiction and recidivism rate.The Dannon Project - an organization that provides re-entry services to formerly incarcerated individuals and their families, was also well-represented, as was Space One Eleven, a visual arts organization and partner of the Alabama Prison Arts and Education Project.

I was excited to see so many individuals in attendance who are addressing issues related to crime, incarceration and justice. The exchange afterwards was vibrant and the organizations were given a chance to speak about their services and initiatives before the close of the discussion. There were also several opportunities for networking among the various groups.

The next day was a day off. I caught up on some much needed sleep and then headed downtown to roam the art district, where everyone was busy preparing for the evening art walk. My son Jack had a good time chasing his shadow. I also discovered that he likes lemon cupcakes.

Thank you, Birmingham, for all of your hospitality and great effort for a wonderful event!

Concrete, Steel & Paint Director Cindy Burstein &

Lizzy Thomas, Alys Stephens Robinson Performing Arts Center

Bridging "inside" with "outside" in Gadsden, AL

‘Concrete, Steel & Paint’ is a documentary that explores the value of connecting prisoners with the outside community. Mario Gallardo—Director of the Walnut Street Gallery and a Professor in the Art Department at Gadsden State College, took this message to heart and brought it to life by inviting inmates from the Etowah County Jail in the SCTIF public screening at the Pitman Theatre in downtown Gadsden. We had screened the film in prisons before, and even had the opportunity to coordinate bringing the public to those events, but never has this happened in the reverse.

Close to 20 inmates attended the Saturday night event escorted by Sheriff Entrekin, who was also joined by his wife.

Following the screening, it was a little awkward at first navigating between two sides of the room, but the physical boundary seemed to breakdown as the conversation continued. More and more people chimed in … on “both sides” as we did a round robin to hear first impressions of the film. Words like hope, courage, thought-provoking, real, and inspiring were among some of the descriptives.

One gentleman asked: “Why are there prisoners and crime victims?” His thought was more of question meant to ponder what it is about our society that creates prisoners and crime victims, from a sociological standpoint.

A student, interested in art therapy, was riveted by the film – it gave her inspiration about the healing power of art. She commented on the fine line between prisoners and crime victims, between us and them, when you think about what we are all capable of and what can happen to anybody.

One of the incarcerated men was impressed by the courage of the partners to work together and see the project through.

The Sheriff talked about his restorative program approach, the importance of restitution and their mural painting projects.

The exchange opened up a bit when Bobby Welch, Executive Director of the Mary G. Hardin Center for Cultural Arts, asked the guys from the prison about coming out to visit and see the artwork there. While the questions were typically being addressed to me, Bobby broke the ice with this question. The Sheriff responded with an open invitation. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that Gadsden has started its own planning for a ‘Healing Walls’ spin-off.

My hope, moving forward, is that we might replicate the audience diversity created in Gadsden, and find more opportunities for bringing the community together with people who are incarcerated.

This was a great start and has set a new precedent for the film’s potential to engage the very principles that it upholds – finding opportunities to bridge “inside” with “outside” and exploring the potential for what can happen in the exchange. Thank you, Mario and to all of the Gadsden partners (Mary G Hardin Center for Cultural Arts, Gadsden State Community College, Wallace Hall Fine Arts Center, Downtown Gadsden Incorporated).

The Historic Pitman Theatre in downtown Gadsden

screens 'Concrete, Steel & Paint'

Lafayette, LA weighs in on crime and incarceration

It was a long drive from Auburn, AL to Lafayette, LA, but there was no better welcome than arriving to my unique accommodations at the lovely downtown Buchanan Lofts (wow! comfort, class and style, with plenty of room to spread out). With just about three hours until “showtime” I am in search of seafood gumbo (if I left Lousiana without having any, I would surely have felt deprived). Luckily, I didn’t have very far to go. My lovely landlady Leah pointed me in the direction of Don’s Seafood and Steakhouse – the perfect combination of old school, good food, and kid friendly! I’m not a food photographer, but wanted you to see a glimpse of my gumbo bowl (yum!), and another shot of my son, enjoying his French fries.

Stomachs full and ready for the night, I walk on over to the Acadiana Center for the Arts – a state of the facility in the middle of downtown Lafayette. I am in the building no more than 5 minutes and, lo and behold, an old college buddy from graduate school is there - Shawne Major! She saw the announcement on Facebook and showed up with her 11 year old daughter, Ruby, to say hello and see the film. What a nice surprise!

Following the screening, only a split second passed before the first hand went up. Gerd Wuestemann, the Center’s Director, told me that ACA audiences always have plenty of questions – this group was no exception. Most people seemed to be acquainted with one another. The exchange was comfortable and lively.

Award winning documentary filmmaker Pat Mire – Founder and Artistic Director of Cinema on the Bayou lauded ‘Concrete, Steel & Paint’ as a very important film that needs to be screened widely for public audiences. Public Defender Rebecca Hudsmith, who is also the Festival Director for Cinema on the Bayou, has a keen interest in restorative justice and extended a hand to support the film's educational outreach. A friend who attended with Pat and Rebecca approached me afterwards: “I’m a crime victim, she’s a public defender, he’s a filmmaker and my partner is a muralist – we were all represented!” The level of excitement and enthusiasm for the film was inspiring.

Pennsylvania (where I’m from) and Louisiana share two similarities regarding their incarceration statistics - they both are included in a list of only six states that have life sentences imposed without the possibility of parole, and are among the top five states with the highest number of people (more than 3,000) serving life without parole sentences.

Louisiana leads the nation in terms of the percent of its prison population serving life without parole, at 10.9 percent. In fact, it was in Louisiana that the practice first took off, and the expansion of life sentences started at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, the nation's largest maximum penitentiary, in the early 1970s, when most people sentenced to life terms were paroled after they had been deemed fit to re-enter society. Everyone in Louisiana has a 2% chance of being locked up.

The facts are troubling and the challenges are great, but change is not impossible and alternatives to punitive justice are increasingly becoming a part of the discussion. Learn more about how Louisiana is working with the VERA Institute of Justice and the Pew Center on the States to develop policy change intended to better manage prison growth, reduce expenditures in corrections and recidivism rates and increase public safety.

I felt I made some great connections in Louisiana with individuals who are interested in these issues and the film's potential to raise awareness about them. I hope we will stay in touch, and keep the conversation going!

Auburn screening highlights arts in corrections in Alabama!

Hello Auburn! My first stop with Concrete, Steel & Paint on the Southern Circuit. The film's theme of arts in corrections was certainly a prominent feature in the post-screening discussion. Arts in Corrections is alive and well in the state of Alabama due to the tireless dedication of individuals like Kyes Stevens, Director of the Alabama Prison Art and Education Project (APAEP) and Jeannie Thompson, Director of the Alabama Writers Forum (AWF). I had been in touch with both of them prior to arriving in Auburn. I was fortunate that they were both available to attend my first screening of the tour, held at the Jule Collins Museum of Fine Arts. APAEP is headquarted at Auburn University - in the Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts. It is a remarkable program dedicated to bringing educational programs in the arts and humanities to prisoners in Alabama. It's an important resource for the Alabama Department of Corrections (DOC) and a favorite of Dr. Eddie Lancaster, Reentry Coordinator for the Alabama DOC who I had the opportunity during my stay. He is trained as a forensic psychologist, and lauds the importance of visual tools in prison settings as a pathway to higher learning and therapeutic self-expression. Pictured below, he proudly displays APAEP's traveling exhibit in the corridors of the DOC's downtown Montgomery office.

The Alabama Writers Forum serves the literary arts community in Alabama and through their work have developed a special partnership with Alabama's juvenile justice community. They manage "Writing Our Stories: An Anti-Violence Creative Writing Program" on three Department of Youth Services campuses. The Forum also collaborates with APAEP and other organizations to also serve adult prison populations. Having both Kyes and Jeannie present for ‘Concrete, Steel & Paint’ was an asset. “This is the best film I have seen about the struggle and strife between prisoners and crime victims, and that is very hard to capture," says Stevens. Thompson follows up by adding how well the film illustrates the power of art as a tool for dialogue. Their knowledge about arts in corrections programs contributed to the discussion. They also provided the audience with more information about their organizations and opportunities to connect with their work for anyone interested to get more involved. Thank you, Auburn, to the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art and to all of the film's friends and supporters who helped spread the word to everyone who joined us. It was a wonderful evening.

Pictured above (from left to right):

Kyes Stevens, Director-Alabama Prison Arts and Education Project;

Scott Bishop-Director, Jule Collins Museum of Fine Art; Cindy Burstein-Director/Producer, Concrete, Steel & Paint; Sheriff Jay Jones-Lee County;

Jeannie Thompson-Director, Alabama Writers' Forum