Newsletter FEBRUARY 2023
Bringing the art of ceramics to CTJC
The CTJC art room with 4 pottery wheels we were able to purchase with a grant from Envisioning Justice
This March CTJC is offering a brand-new ceramics program! Our art therapist, Shalom Parker, is also a ceramic artist and she will be leading this program. Clay is a very therapeutic, tactile, and accessible medium that will help to find new ways of facilitating healing through art making. It has been shown to improve mood, awaken creativity, foster socialization, and open up healing from trauma. The focus of the workshop is creating containers to hold your grief. The impact of torture and incarceration runs deep in the lives of the members of our community. Oftentimes society forces us to try and push down the emotions related to grief and loss. Our workshop is a place to safely explore that grief and honor it by creating a container to hold it while also learning a new medium of ceramics. Some of the questions that we will be taking into consideration throughout the process of creating the vessels include: What would that vessel look like, what size would it be, how would it open and close, and what images would be displayed on it?
The program will meet two days a week to accommodate differing schedules, the first days will be Thursday March 9th from 5-7 and Saturday March 12th 10-12. The program is set to be 6 weeks long, and then this summer we will have an art show where we will be able to share what was made and about the process of making it. If you are interested in being a part of this program please reach out to Shalom Parker through email at shalom@chicagotorturejustice.org There are limited spots available. We also would like to extend an invitation to our brothers and sisters inside to be a part of the program by creating a drawing and short explanation of what a vessel to hold your grief would look like. Our hope is to be able to include these in the show as well, with your permission. If you would like to be a part, please send your piece addressed to Shalom Parker Chicago Torture Justice Center 6337 S Woodlawn Ave Chicago Il 60637.
Black History Month: Resistance in Art Recently, Shalom visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see the "Hear Me Now: The Black Potters of Old Edgefield, South Carolina" exhibit where she learned about David Drake, a Black enslaved potter. Much of David's pottery dates back to the 1850s, and it is some of the only pottery created by enslaved potters that can be traced back to the original artist. Although it was a punishable crime for enslaved people to learn to read and write, David etched poetry and signed his name on a portion of his vases, which is how we know of him today. It is through David's quiet yet brave acts that we are able to see how art plays a unique part in resistance. Nearly 2 centuries have passed since David created these magnificent vases, yet his work serves as a source of inspiration for artists who seek to use their art as a means of resistance and radical transformation. We hope to carry David's legacy forward through this new ceramics program as we continue imagining and creating a world free from state and police violence.
Left: A photo taken by Shalom of the exhibit. Right: One of Dave Drake's pots inscribed with a poem.
I wonder where is all my relation Friendship to all--and every nation Lm Aug 16 1857 Dave
6337 S. WOODLAWN AVENUE CHICAGO IL 60637 CHICAGOTORTUREJUSTICE.ORG