Mass Incarceration
Mainstage Programming
Death By Life
A Digital Opera in One Act
Premiered May 20, 2021, Live in Cyberspace
Leila Adu, composer
Jacinth Greywoode, composer
Jonathan Bailey Holland, composer
David Sanford, composer
Mary D. Watkins, composer
White Snake Projects acquired the rights to several stories from incarcerated writers and their words form the basis of the libretto. We commissioned five Black composers to tell these stories.
It’s important that we bring the words of the incarcerated to you, not our version of their words, or our interpretive gloss on it.
“There are over 200,000 of us/ And we are brilliant/ We’re stripped of everything/ But survive by invoking/ A different kind of love/ A different kind of hope/ A different kind of dream, A different kind of life”
The Chorus of the Incarcerated by Eric Blackmon
Community Programming
Art as Transformation: Music and Drama for Incarcerated Youth
Live on Zoom | March 30, 2021
We explored art as a means of transformation for persons who have experienced or are experiencing incarceration. The event included guided activities and a discussion about art making and community through music, drama, and creative writing while imprisoned.
Art and Imagination Inside Prisons
Live on Zoom | April 6, 2021
We explored art-making inside the prison industrial complex as a practice of freedom by incarcerated artists. Panelists discussed artworks crafted behind the prison wall and the creative processes involved in making, learning, and teaching art behind bars.
To view the full list of panelists, click “Learn more” below.
Freedom-Making in an Age of Mass Incarceration
Live on Zoom | April 13, 2021
The Pozen Center Human Rights Lab and White Snake Projects held a panel discussion about what freedom-making means within the deeply carceral context of contemporary America.
To see the full list of panelists, click “Learn more” below.
Sing Out Strong: Incarcerated Voices
Live on Zoom | November 20, 2021
Our ongoing series where we reach out to individuals in our community to create texts on activist themes. We collected stories from writers experiencing incarceration about their experiences exiled from families, friends and community.
To see the full list of composers and performers, click “Learn more” below.
Mass Incarceration Resources
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