RE:CLAIM {Rooted Exhibition: Community ~ Love ~ Abundance ~ Intergenerational ~ Multiplicity} is a project that is a collective of artists, advocates, and movement builders seeking to honor the complexity and diversity of the community impact of the criminal legal system as it affects youth, adults, and families. The layers of the immersive installation offer audio and visual arts as a catalyst for visioning practices, and resources supporting the wellness and safety of our neighbors.
The exhibition events will take place at the Washtenaw County Court House the evenings of September 15, 22, and 30 from 5:30pm – 8:00pm. Registration Required. The 5:30pm arrival time accounts for security screening upon entrance.
The organizational leadership of RE:CLAIM is: Youth Arts Alliance, Interfaith Council for Peace & Justice, Washtenaw My Brother’s Keeper, Amplify Project, and Title Track. Working in partnership with the Washtenaw County Trial Court, these organizations will collaborate with many organizational partners, artists, musicians, and culture makers to participate in this exhibition and programming series.
September 15th is RE:CLAIM: IMMERSION. Join us as we celebrate the opening reception of RE:CLAIM! An evening of stories, music, dance, history, poetry, and immersive/thought provoking art representing dozens of organizations and local artists. The evening will consist of ambient sounds by Amplify Fellow, Ki5 Loops (Kyler Wilkins), the release and performance of the second album from the Washtenaw My Brother’s Keeper supported Formula 734, spoken word performances by Staying Power poets, as well as dancer, choreographer, and artistic director Gina Danene Thompson’s world premieres of two dance performances entitled ‘Did You March, and if so Why?’ as well as ‘DEARLY BELOVED’. This display will layer dance and seemingly contrary artistic forms to create an emotionally immersive experience. The effort combines 30 dancers, poets, and musicians of all ages and genres to create two separate experiences.
September 22: “What If We Were All Free?”
As part of the collaborative RE:CLAIM project, ICPJ is hosting a Compassionate Community Conversation called “What If We Were All Free.” We will use poetry, storytelling, and reflection to help guide the conversation and to explore the foundational tenets of prison industrial complex abolition. We are grateful to be joined by Leslie McGraw, Lisa Jackson, and Natalie Holbrook with others from the American Friends Service Committee and the stories they will share from “Let Me Tell You.”
Hosted by ICPJ as part of our Compassionate Community Conversations program to build greater empathy and understanding within our communities, even when we hold different viewpoints. Providing ambient sound and vibes will be ‘The Chill Place’, a multi-media production house, focused on bridging the gaps between all demographics of people.
September 30: Soundwaves and Moods
During the final evening-installation of this series, we welcome a number of musicians focused on making the closing of our programming series complete and festive. We are very honored to welcome the stylings of John E. Lawrence, Dani Darling, and DJ Khlonez.
John E. Lawrence is a lifelong resident of Ypsilanti and one of Michigan’s most talented and respected guitarists. He is the Former Head of the Music Performance Program and the Chair of the Performing Arts Department at Washtenaw Community College, and in 2019, he dedicated himself to writing and recording music fifteen to twenty hours a day and to date, he has written, recorded and produced over three hundred and fifty songs. John has opened for famed artists including Smokey Robinson, Chaka Khan, Lionel Richie and the Commodores, Rick James, Teena Marie and Frankie Beverly and Maze.
Dani Darling is an imaginative chanteuse, guitarist, producer, band leader and songwriter from Ann Arbor. As an “artist to watch” she has evolved from jazzy lofi grooves, to lush, layered funk and soul. Dani debuted her most recent effort, a Psychedelic Soul EP called “The Future”, on the cover of the Detroit Metro Times to critical acclaim, earning her a Detroit Music Award nomination for best R&B Recording.
Kayla Hensley is a DJ with Washtenaw County roots.
