Special Saturday Events:
August 9th, 3-5pm: Opening Reception, featuring artists Von Johnson, Sarith Peou, Ronald “Bino” Greer, Fong Lee, and Kevin Yang
Authors and exhibiting artists Ronald “Bino” Greer II, Sarith Peou, and Von Johnson will join us via Zoom from Minnesota State Prison to lead three writing and poetry engagements:
Bino, whose work examines proximity and relationship to nature, will guide participants in poetry and reflection of the flora that surrounds—or is absent from—our lives. You will leave with your own poetry written on seed-embedded paper, which you may plant in the spring to watch words and wildflowers bloom.
Sarith, who has dedicated his life to chronicling the experiences, traumas, and perseverance of refugees in Minnesota State Prisons, will lead you in a restorative justice contemplation and writing exercise that will underscore the need for individual and collective healing.
Von, who has for nearly three decades created communities of belonging and inclusion in Minnesota State Prisons, understands the importance of presence, communication, and family. In this engagement, Von will lead you in composing your own letters to a lost loved one (perhaps distanced through incarceration, illness, death, or time).
And join artists Fong Lee and Kevin Yang for a Khi Tes ceremony, an important Hmong spiritual practice symbolizing connectedness, renewal, and blessing, in the gallery space. The artists will guide you in tying white strings to another person’s wrist, representing bonds of care and spiritual well-being. Whether it’s a long-time friend or a stranger, this simple yet profound gesture fosters a sense of community and shared humanity. Materials provided.
August 16th, 1-2:30 pm: Words Matter: Showing Up for Our Incarcerated Loved Ones, with T.O.N.E. U.P.
Join us for a letter-writing workshop where we come together to support our incarcerated loved ones. This is more than just sending words of encouragement—we’ll write letters of support and solidarity, share news, current events, and recent changes in laws or policies that may impact our incarcerated community.
Whether you’re writing to someone you know personally or offering words to someone you’ve never met, your letter can be a powerful act of love, advocacy, and hope. All are welcome—no prior experience needed. Materials will be provided.
August 23rd, 1-2:30 pm: “Shredded Symbols” paper pulping workshop part 1 with C Fausto Cabrera
In part one of our New Narratives workshop (this can be a standalone event; participation in the second workshop is not required), participants will bring personal “pain papers,” such as a criminal record, court papers, divorce decrees, invoices with medical debt, etc. to shred, pulp, and stretch into new canvases. There will be an option to write on scrap paper, should you choose not to bring in a personal document.
This workshop is a personal and collective practice of reclaiming power through destruction: we will confront printed memories that represents trauma, control, shame, or outdated versions of self—and we physically shred them to make new canvases for our new beginnings. This symbolic destruction clears space for a more honest, powerful narrative to emerge.
September 6th, 1-2:30 pm: “New Narratives” paper pulping workshop part 2 with C Fausto Cabrera and Emily Baxter
In part two of our New Narratives workshop (this can be a standalone event; participation in the first workshop is not required) returning participants work with pulped and dried paper; new participants work with pulped or seed-embedded paper provided by WAAC. C Fausto and Emily guide participants through using the paper to create new narratives in poetry, painting, or portraiture. No prior experience needed.
September 13th, 1-2:30 pm: “Where You Are: Using Language to Empower Yourself and Others” book reading and erasure poetry workshop with Zeke Caligiuri and the artist Han
Join author Zeke Caliguiri as he reads excerpts from This is Where I Am: A Memoir, as well as new work. Following the reading, Han will join Zeke to lead an erasure poetry workshop, where participants will blackout or redact texts to create new “found” poetry. No prior experience necessary.
September 20th, 1-2:30 pm: In Sight: Conversation and discussion regarding restorative justice and the path forward with Dr. Kayla Richards and Christopher Sonny Melendez
Join Dr. Kayla Richards and restorative justice practitioner Christopher Sonny Melendez as they discuss the urgent, overdue, and ultimately hopeful path forward to restorative justice in Minnesota.
Minneapolis Central Library
300 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Monday-Thursday 9am-8pm
Friday-Saturday 9am-5pm
Sunday 12pm-5pm