Mark Strandquist has spent years using art as a vehicle for connecting diverse communities to amplify, celebrate, and power social justice movements. At the core of his practice is the belief that those most impacted by the criminal justice system are the experts society needs to listen to, and that by connecting those directly affected with a multitude of community experts and political stakeholders, change can be created on personal and systemic levels.

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Mark Strandquist 

PERFORMING STATISTICS #NOKIDSINPRISON

Interactive installation

Plaza, Geffen Contemporary at MOCA

 

Performing Statistics is a cultural organizing project and nationally touring exhibition that uses the arts to model, imagine, and advocate for alternatives to youth incarceration. 

Building on the initial 5 years of organizing, the project launched #NoKidsinPrison, a first-of-its-kind interactive exhibition that outlines what it will take for the United States to move from youth incarceration toward holistic youth investment. The exhibition amplifies the voices of youth impacted by the juvenile justice system using virtual reality, augmented reality, immersive audio, and other media (including documentary film, visual art, and poetry) to support local, state, and national movements to end youth incarceration.  

For FF CON, Mark Strandquist invites attendees to hear directly from youth impacted by the juvenile justice system through their powerful artwork, but also to respond to the prompt: What can we do in this decade to help create a world where no youth are locked up?