Curated by Maureen Kelleher

October 5th – November 22nd, 2019
Opening Reception – October 5th 7-10pm
Gallery Aferro

73 Market Street, Newark, NJ

Wednesday – Saturday 12-6pm and by appointment

Participating Artists:

Etienne
Maureen Kelleher
Kenya
Ramsey Orta
Dr. Mutulu Shakur
Sharif
Teresa
Zulu

An exhibition can act as an undeniable clarion call to the world and all who wish to see it transformed for the better. The Social Justice Collaboration Quilts Project featuring the Quilts of Angola Prison is such an exhibition. A loving, compelling collaboration of creativity, the exhibit features the work of free persons and lifers of the infamous Louisiana State Penitentiary, better known as Angola Prison.

Artist and private investigator Maureen Kelleher has curated an ongoing collaboration between individuals incarcerated  at Louisiana State Penitentiary and elsewhere, alongside free civilians, utilizes handmade quilts, musical accompaniment, and experiential narratives to connect two worlds.

Kelleher’s skills have been instrumental in helping exonerate 3 men off Louisiana’s death row, in addition to assisting the renowned justice reform organization, The Innocence Project, on a non-DNA case to aid in the release of an innocent man with a life sentence. She has crafted a showcase that includes music from artists such as Irma Thomas, Delfeayo Marsalis, Cat Power, and the Venerable Robina Courtin, with endorsements from Harriet Tubman scholar Dr. Kate Clifford-Larson and others. The original fabric art created by the hands of inspiring artists, including members of the Louisiana State Penitentiary Hospice Program; Dr. Mutulu Shakur, the stepfather of Tupac Shakur; and Ramsey Orta, the man who recorded the death of Eric Garner, will grace Aferro’s Main Gallery, creating an immersive environment for affirming our collective humanity.