(Our Love Is) Unbroken by Bars

About

(Our Love Is) Unbroken by Bars is an ongoing art and storytelling project curated by Katie Fuller with prints and a mural by Jess X Snow. This iteration will be held In collaboration with A.I.R. gallery. Unbroken by Bars addresses the systemic neglect of women, who are the fastest growing prison population. Many women are incarcerated for nonviolent offenses related to drugs or self-defense and have been victims of relational abuse or race-related violence and poverty. Incarceration affects female migrants of color and Black-Americans at the highest rate, and 80% of incarcerated women are mothers. This narrative of violence is told through the stories of three formerly incarcerated women, who found the power within themselves to change the direction of their lives in spite of the adversity they faced. During a series of intimate interviews in 2016, Snow and Fuller learned in great detail about the prison system’s failure to work with domestic and sexual abuse survivors, and those struggling with addiction. This very system failed them during the birth of their children, forced them to fight for their love and trust as they grew, then failed in their transition out. Each woman beat the likelihood of recidivism, received job training and pursued college and professional degrees. Unbroken by Bars began as a public art project, and with support from Amplifier and #cut50, was featured last summer as part of a month-long initiative to bring attention to the “Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act”, a bill sponsored by Senator Cory Booker and Senator Elizabeth Warren. The posters have been spotted in nine states from Colorado to New York to Florida, and it was voted top ten by Streets Dept., an online Philadelphia street art magazine. In June, Unbroken by Bars made its gallery debut at the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Gutman Library Gallery. “By using art as a social change agent, we are working with the mothers to bring their stories out from behind bars and into public spaces where Americans are forced to engage with the mothers and interact with the reality of the criminal justice system.“ - Jess X Snow “The women of Unbroken by Bars and the others whom have shared their stories are the most powerful women I have met. They tap into and share their pain and their experiences so that we all might grow and learn.” - Katie Fuller