Women, Prison, and the Arts
What: This symposium, held in honor of International Women’s Day, will examine the pivotal role of the arts as a catalyst for change in the lives of imprisoned women. The symposium will feature panel discussions, an art exhibit, remarks by Connecticut author Wally Lamb and a dance performance by the Judy Dworin Ensemble. There also will be a concert by the a cappella gospel singing group, Women of the Cross, who will be joined by formerly imprisoned women and their family members.
When: Saturday, March 8 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. A book signing by Lamb will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and the dance performance and concert will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Where: The symposium will be in the Washington Room in Mather Hall on the Trinity Campus. The art exhibit will be in the Art Space in Mather Hall. The book signing will take place in the lobby of the Austin Arts Center, and the dance performance and concert will be in the Goodwin Theater in the Austin Arts Center.
Schedule of Events:
1 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. - Opening remarks by Janet S. York, who was warden of the York Correctional Institution in Niantic from 1960 to 1975.
1:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. – KEYNOTE PANEL: Telling HERstory through the arts. The panelists are:
• Jean Trounstine, professor of humanities, Middlesex Community College, Lowell, MA and author of “Shakespeare Behind Bars”
• Rena Fraden, dean of faculty at Trinity College and author of “Imagining Medea: Rhodessa Jones and Theater for Incarcerated Women”
• Karen Oien, deputy warden, York Correctional Institution
• Judy Dworin, professor of theater and dance at Trinity College and artistic director of the Judy Dworin Performance Project, Inc.
3 p.m. to 4 p.m. – Concurrent Break-Out Sessions
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, a road to incarceration. The panelists are:
• Barbara Parsons, formerly imprisoned at York and winner of PEN/ American/Newman’s Own First Amendment Award
• Lisa Holden, executive director, Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence
• Kathleen Bantley, Esq., assistant professor, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Central Connecticut State University
CHILDREN OF THE INCARCERATED, unintended victims. The panelists are:
• Sami and Suzi Jensen, daughters of an incarcerated woman at York
• Susan Quinlan, executive director, Families in Crisis
• Andrew Clark, executive director, CCSU’s Institute for the Study of Crime and Justice
IMMIGRATION, prisoners without a country. The panelists are:
• Pam Superville, formerly imprisoned at York; job developer, Pennsylvania Prison Society
• Marela Zacarias, artist, teacher, activist
• Anne Gebelein, professor modern languages and literature at Trinity College
4 p.m. to 5 p.m. – ART EXHIBIT: “Talking Paintings.” This is an interactive art exhibition created by the women at York Correctional Institution. The artwork examines the impact of HIV/AIDS on the women.
REFRESHMENTS
6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. - BOOK SIGNING by Wally Lamb, bestselling novelist and editor of I’ll Fly Away: Further Testimonies from the Women of York Prison. Lamb’s two novels, She’s Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True were both No. 1 New York Times bestsellers and selections of Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club. He was the editor of Couldn’t Keep It to Myself, a volume of essays from students in his writing workshop at York. A volunteer facilitator at York for many years, Lamb is currently at work on a new novel.
7:30 p.m. – TIME IN, with opening remarks by Lamb. The dance performance by the Judy Dworin Performance Ensemble is based on reflections on time by the women at York. It will be followed by an a cappella gospel singing group and then a talk with Lamb, the performers and the formerly imprisoned women.
For tickets and information, call 860-527-9800 or visit www.judydworin.org. The proceeds from the dance performance and chorus will benefit Interval House and college courses at the York Correctional Institution in Niantic, Connecticut’s only prison for female offenders.