In 2001, Gregory Sale conducted the first iteration of Touching Revolution at the Phoenix Art Museum. The project involved a series of live telephone interviews with people located around the world and in whose lives the experience of revolution figured prominently.
At the 2015 Open Engagement Conference at Carnegie Mellon University, Courtney Bowles, Sale and Mark Strandquist will host an expansive public conversation connecting with individuals across the United States who are directly involved in some of the most dynamic efforts to transform the criminal justice system.
With only 5% of the world’s population, the U.S. incarcerates 25% of the world’s prisoners. Since the War on Drugs began in the 1970s, U.S.
prison populations have risen 700%. For almost 50 years, this campaign has sought to define and reduce illegal drug trade through the criminalization of drug usage, the militarization of police, and military intervention abroad. Today, after decades of escalating prison spending, high recidivism rates, and devastating disproportionate impacts on communities of color and those living in poverty, people of all walks of life are starting to agree that something needs to change.
How can we reform a system that continuously invokes notions of warfare?
Touching Revolution: Creative Responses to Mass Incarceration functions as a vehicle for creating a constellation of inspiring efforts to radically reimagine the US criminal justice system. It will operate as a platform for showcasing and performing how ‘touch’ (connecting two distinct entities through conflict, compassion, and/or solidarity) is implicit and necessary for any revolution. In this way, people engage these serious issues emotionally and immediately.
Comprised of conversations, interactive performances, and pre-recorded segments, the event will take place in a mock news/talk show set during a 90-minute live program. Segments will highlight organizations and individuals who use aesthetic gestures and political strategies as a vehicle for sowing the seeds of revolution. Join the conversation!
Touching Revolution: Creative Responses to Mass Incarceration is an ongoing project by Gregory Sale, Mark Strandquist, and Courtney Bowles.
With amazing support and assistance from:
Catherine Akins , Will Taylor, Linh Lam, and Eric Susser.
Endless thanks and respect to all of our guests and contributors.
This project would not have been possible without Jen Delos Reyes and the amazing organizers of Open Engagement, JustSeeds Artist Co-operative, The Soap Box, Arizona State University, the tech gurus at Carnegie Mellon University, and many many others.