Living & Loving Under the Carceral State
Living & Loving Under the Carceral State
December 4, 2025 - February 7, 2026
Reception: December 4, 2025
1 in 4 women in the US has had a family member in jail or prison, yet mass incarceration remains intentionally out of sight of the mainstream. Loved ones carry an unseen and less recognized weight. Although they aren't imprisoned, the criminal justice system affects their lives in a multitude of ways. Living & Loving Under the Carceral State is an exhibition of individual and collective experiences as women supporting currently and formerly incarcerated loved ones.
Part of a collective that meets each month to share food, joy, tears, and advice, the artists create art about the experience of loving someone behind bars. Creating art together is not just therapeutic, it's a method of healing, cultural preservation, and power building. When we create art in community, we break isolation, tell our stories, and cultivate our imaginations so we can shape future possibilities together.
The art in this exhibition reflects the pain and isolation of loving under the separation and surveillance of the carceral state and the dignity in the unrelenting fight to free loved ones from the physical and psychological bars of contemporary mass incarceration. It is rare for loved ones of incarcerated people to speak on their experience, be it the fear of Department of Corrections (DOC) retaliation or the social taboo of prison. For broader change to take place, it's vital that more people are able to see and take part in these conversations.
Exhibiting Artists
- Alison Bremner
- Cassandra Butler
- Martina Kartman
- Stef Marchand
- Chelsea Moore