This event welcomes people of all ages, families, and young people.
How do our personal values, perspectives, and societal norms both uphold and challenge mass incarceration? Please join us for a talk and guided exhibition tour with artist Alexandra Antoine, hosted by the Galesburg Community Arts Center. Created in partnership with Antoine’s longtime collaborator, writer Brandon V. Wyatt, the exhibition titled Our Agreements is an exploration of the role of police, prisons, and incarceration in our communities.
Wyatt, who is currently incarcerated at Stateville Correctional Center, and Antoine’s work together is rooted in the ideas within Gary Zukav’s bestselling book, The Seat of the Soul. Visitors will be guided along the gallery space through focused areas that directly reflect the chapters of Zukav’s book.
Free food and drinks will be provided during the event. The exhibition will be on display through October 21, 2023.
Alexandra Antoine is an interdisciplinary artist and cultural apprentice based in Chicago, IL. Her work acknowledges the influences of her Haitian culture and interest in portraiture, food, farming and physical labor in traditional artistic practices of the African diaspora. She honors the different forms and functions of her work in the process of her vision coming into fruition. She received her BFA in Fine Arts and Arts Education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Brandon V. Wyatt is a “Universal Truth Seeker,” who welcomes any involvement and indulges in progressive, productive, and peaceful affairs and developments. He is currently 38 years of age, and continues to defy the assumptions that come with age, race, and gender. Despite being incarcerated for a significant amount of time, he has made notable achievements in the realms of academics, social understanding, and personal development, which stems from his ability to be firm in knowing that his identity is established in a substance of unconditionality and infinite possibility. He has been a contributor for “Envisioning Justice” in other programs and ventures, and has walked away each and every time with a heightened sense of accomplishment and an appreciation for being able to lend a voice to such weighty and urgent issues as mass incarceration and social inequities.
The Galesburg Community Arts Center was originally founded in February 1923 as the Galesburg Civic Art League, the Galesburg Chapter for the American Federation of the Arts, under the leadership of arts patron, Mr. George Dole. For the next three decades the League promoted the sale of art, presented free exhibitions and promoted art activities. The first piece donated to our permanent collection was acquired in 1923. The Art League had no permanent home, so they met in vacant storefronts, at the public library and at the Illinois Power building.
In 1946, the community lounge of the YMCA became the League’s first permanent home. By 1965, the community lounge was no longer available because of expansion plans for the YMCA. The building at 114 East Main Street was found, purchased and remodeled, and the organization began using the Galesburg Civic Art Center as its public name.
The Galesburg Community Arts Center continues to connect our community to the arts through exhibitions and performances, art-making opportunities for all ages and all abilities, and numerous community events, Studios Midwest Artist Residency as well as other special events throughout the year.
2023 Envisioning Justice Activation Series
Illinois Humanities is collaborating with community organizations in six Illinois towns to host free public arts and educational programs for all ages. These six events featuring the artists, educators, and organizers behind Envisioning Justice RE:ACTION create opportunities to for us to reimagine timely conversations about justice, safety, community, and belonging.