In the documentary Krimes, artist Jesse Krimes espouses a provocative theory: many of the U.S.’s greatest artists are unknown, and not simply because curators and dealers haven’t taken the time to find them. “One in three people has a criminal record, so that is a clear signal to me that there is a whole pool of wasted talent, not just in the prison system, but also with the ...
Before he ascended to the heights of Hollywood stardom as an actor and activist, Jesse Williams grew up in a household where art took center stage. His mother is an artist, and his wider family network included “boatbuilders, sculptors, painters, dancers,” he said. “I was surrounded by a lot of hands-on craftsmanship. Creativity was central to our home. We didn’t collect because we didn’t ...
When artist Glenn Kaino first met actor and activist Jesse Williams, it was instant creative kismet. The two recognized in each other a shared interest in art and technology, as well as a desire to give voice to overlooked cultures and pushback against the nuance-free, swath-like narratives that so often serve to summarize whole races of people in media. And so Visibility Media, the company ...
Drive long enough on any American highway and you will pass a prison. Even at a distance, its ominous form is instantly recognizable, the telltale watchtowers and razor wire–topped fences marking it as an outpost of the United States’s sprawling penal system. Millions of people are incarcerated in prisons, jails, and detention centers across the country, and tens of millions more must organize their ...
