20+ YEARS OF ARTISTIC NOISE
For more than 20 years, Artistic Noise has used art as a vehicle to amplify the voices and stories of young people whose lives have been impacted by the juvenile court system, probation system, foster care system, mental health care systems, and more. At Artistic Noise, we believe that over-policing, the school-to-prison pipeline, and the ways in which mass incarceration has destroyed our communities remain the most urgent and pressing social justice issues of our time. These systems want our young people to be silent… and that’s why we make Artistic Noise.
The selected projects below tell the story of Artistic Noise; how we began as a singular youth workshop within a carceral space, and how we’ve developed into the multi-program organization we are today.
2023 Immune Systems
Through collective artwork, self-portraits, collages, drawings, and paintings, this exhibition is a survey of healing—work created in an environment inspiring youth artists to process, express, and share their experiences. Giving support to a wide community of individuals most impacted by the juvenile court system, participants range from ages fourteen to twenty-one, many of whom are on probation, young parents, in foster care, or coming from a period of being unhoused.
2020 Advocacy Portraits
Youth artists in a community program studied Kehinde Wiley's works and discussed the impact of visual arts in social advocacy and personal narratives. They created portraits of social justice issues or people, including Colin Kaepernick, Meek Mill, Cyntoia Brown, and Chrystul Kizer, to advocate for others who have had similar experiences in the justice system or society. The youth artists also highlighted causes in an abstract way, such as inequities within the healthcare system and wrongful incarceration, to bring attention to important issues.
2017 Identity Politics
In this project, youth artists began by examining how systems of power such as the media, government, and police misrepresent people of color. After discussing these issues, the youth artists were asked to brainstorm what they think is a more accurate representation of themselves. This resulted in words and ideas that came to represent their true identity.
2008 Letter Writing
The Artistic Noise community and detention programs in New York and Boston collaborated on a project where youth artists used collage and photography to create cards, which were then mailed to another youth artist in a different city. The recipient would choose a card that resonated with them and write a letter back to the card's creator, creating a dialogue through art and writing. The project was exhibited publicly, and visitors could write letters to the artists who were still incarcerated, which were delivered to them after the opening.
2006 Sepia Stories
Sepia Stories was a collage project that took place from 2006-2009 in Artistic Noise’s community programming. The youth artists incorporated portraits, landscapes, patterns, text, art historical references and miscellaneous items to address their personal thoughts. The project allowed for great freedom in thematic exploration. Our youth artists developed the themes themselves, choosing to address issues of freedom, beauty, resilience, struggle, incarceration, suffering, and social acceptance among others.
2001 Visual Autobiography
Artistic Noise developed a pilot project for young women in detention at the NFI Treatment Facility in Massachusetts in 2001. The project introduced film photography and mixed media collage as a form of creative expression. Youth artists collaborated by taking photographs and sharing collage material, resulting in a compelling group of visual narratives that communicated their experiences and emotions. This project became the foundation for Artistic Noise, an organization that offers art workshops to youth involved in the juvenile justice system.
We are honored to have worked with so many talented individuals and continue to celebrate our young people to this day.
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