The Mission
Bridging Writers & Other Artists Impacted by the Criminal Legal System with a Community Ready to Receive Them
We are working to connect writers and other artists leaving incarceration with literary and arts communities ready to receive them.
We help members of the community provide returning citizens with:
- Access to the missions and vocations of art in the world.
- Resources and connections to help with reentry and reintegration.
- Ways to engage deeply with arts, social-justice, and community-focused organizations.
We help people who’ve been directly impacted by the criminal legal system, especially those who have been incarcerated, connect to community, resources, and organizations ready to walk alongside them as they bring their work to the wider world.
ReEntry Lab is also working to help bring into the world more stories created by, through, and with people who’ve been directly impacted by the criminal legal system. (We are all at least indirectly impacted.)
If you’d like to be a part of this work, please take our survey, sign up for the newsletter, and/or contact us to find out where you can fit in.
What Can You Do?
There are many ways to help, no matter where or who you are. You can identify your own specific access to resources and availability by taking our survey.
Arts as a Bridge to Employment
Create opportunities for reentering individuals in the arts and creative industries. Employers who have a large enough staff–it doesn’t take much–can designate certain position(s) as set-asides for artists reentering the community.
Art-Based Entrepreneurship Training
Create or connect to training programs for reentering individuals eager to learn how to bring their artistic talents to the world while also providing for themselves and their families. Provide support in marketing and business development.
Community Art Festivals
Organize community art festivals that showcase the creativity of reentering individuals, building connections and shared experiences with the broader community.
Boosting Signal
Engage influential artists and cultural leaders as advocates for reentry initiatives. Leverage their platforms to raise awareness, create empathy, and drive policy change.
Advocacy through Art
Help reentering individuals who are interested in using their art as a platform for advocacy. Support initiatives that raise awareness about reentry challenges and the need for societal change.
Storytelling Workshops
Host storytelling workshops where participants can share narratives through spoken word, writing, or visual art.
Artistic Mentorship
Connect with individual artists to help provide guidance and support in pursuing creative careers. Build lasting relationships while walking alongside a directly impacted artist.
Creative Workshops
Organize writing, art, music, or theater workshops specifically designed for reentering individuals. Make room in existing programs for reentering artists and make it feasible for them to participate.
Collaborative Art Installations
Engage reentering individuals in collaborative art projects within the community. Encourage them to work on public art installations while offering your own experience and knowledge as a resource to figure out how.
Opportunities in Art Curation
Empower reentering individuals to curate art exhibitions or performances, allowing them to exercise their creative agency and leadership skills while, ideally, getting fed, and making connections that further their work in the arts.
Cultural Exchange Programs
Create opportunities for reentering individuals to participate in cultural exchange programs, allowing them to share their experiences and learn from others.
Art Therapy and Healing Spaces
Establish art therapy programs within reentry organizations, offering people safe spaces to process trauma, reduce anxiety, and build resilience.
Still have questions?
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Let’s talk!
Land Acknowledgement
ReEntry Lab is located in Mni Sóta Makoce, unceded Dakota lands traditionally home to Dakota and Ojibwe peoples, many of whom were displaced or killed through both casual and deliberate acts of genocide.
There are eleven federally recognized American Indian tribes with reservations throughout Minnesota, seven Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) and four Dakota (Sioux), but the Native population is everywhere around us, and recognition of their stewardship of these lands and the harms perpetrated on them in the past and present is a vital part of our responsibility as inhabitants of the land.
You can learn more about Native Americans in Minnesota in many places. One such source is the Minnesota Historical Society’s MNopedia.