Artists who are in prison or were recently released say the exhibit “SEEN: In the Stacks,” which opened recently at the Minneapolis Public Library, offers them a chance to engage and share; a place of grace and healing. And somewhere to express their grief.
The exhibit began as “SEEN,” a collaboration with the Weisman Art Museum, pairing seven incarcerated artists with seven Twin Cities-based artists, activists, and academics. That original iteration closed in spring, but the exhibit now has a new life at the library with a tweaked name. It is curated by Emily Baxter of the nonprofit We Are All Criminals, which aims to challenge society’s view of what it is to be a criminal.
The collaborative aims to illuminate the effects of mass incarceration by clearing pathways for people behind bars to have their voices heard, faces seen and humanity recognized.
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Artist Chris “C” Fausto Cabrera is a multimedia artist who was released in 2024 after 21 years behind bars. Being freed doesn’t mean what people think it means, he said. The sentence follows former prisoners as they integrate back into society.
“It used to be prison was my only problem,” Cabrera said. “Now liberated from that problem, you see that you’re not a fully formed, functioning human being. So this project is really providing me the grace to really slow my system down.”
Minnesota incarcerates about 17,500 people, a higher percentage of its residents than almost any country that is a democracy, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. Of those, 8,000 are serving time in a state prison.
The shift from the Weisman to a public library brings the work into a more publicly accessible space. Located in downtown Minneapolis and easily reachable by public transportation, the Central Library offers not only exposure to a broader audience but resources for people who are homeless or recently released from prison, such as computers, snacks, water and access to the internet.
While many themes and collaborations remain, the library version is a scaled-back and reimagined presentation of the original. The large-scale installations from the Weisman, such as “cage(d)” presented by Sarith Peou and Carl Fink, could not be fully recreated and will instead be represented by a projector displaying animations.
Peou, 63, is serving a life sentence at Moose Lake. He survived the Cambodian genocide perpetrated by the Khmer Rouge in the late 1970s that resulted in displacement from labor camps to refugee camps. The projected animations, such as a tree, represent what Peou dreams of seeing if and when he is released.
Similarly, “When a Garden Becomes a Canopy of Verses,” the botanical and immersive environment created by Ronald “Bino” Greer and Diane Willow displayed in the Weisman is adapted to the constraints of the library space.
At the library, Baxter said, it is limited to a handful of planters, some poetry, pictures of Greer in prison and pictures of his family’s garden in Detroit.
The plants featured in the exhibit are all summer plants that Greer grew up with in Detroit. He described his grandfather and mother as green thumbs and initially dedicated the installation to them.
“My installation is an example of what’s inside me and although I said I cannot heal, that doesn’t mean I can’t help others heal,” Greer said. “My installation is also a destination that I want to arrive at with memories of youthfulness and landscapes that provoke deep thought.”
Greer said he is not focused so much on people learning from him but rather engaging with him and recognizing the similarities they might share.
“I want everyone to engage with themselves,” Greer said. “To find a moment of serenity and for deep thoughts to emit while walking through the exhibit.”
Opening day on August 9 featured live Zoom appearances from several incarcerated artists guiding visitors through contemplative and creative practices. Peou, whose work documents the experiences of refugee populations in prison, led restorative writing exercises. Greer facilitated poetry reflections on nature and absence using seed-embedded paper.
Also present were Fong Lee and Kevin Yang, co-creators of “While We’re All Still Here,” a piece centered on Hmong cultural memory and community. The two led a kite ceremony drawn from Hmong tradition. Fong was incarcerated when the collaboration began and was now free to attend in person.
“We want to create a space where we can grieve,” Yang said in a video displayed in their installation. “Share care and share intimacy with each other.”
Throughout the remainder of August and September, the exhibit will host interactive events inviting public participation. On Aug. 16, Antonio Williams of TONE UP will present “Words Matter,” a workshop on writing to incarcerated loved ones. Cabrera will offer his ongoing project “Pulping Pain Papers” on Aug. 23 and Sept. 6, transforming shredded documents like medical debt or criminal records into handmade paper and new canvases for personal expression.
Relocation of the exhibit to the Central Library carries both symbolic and practical weight.
“You’re surrounded by poetry and prose, memoir and photography, explorations and criticisms of our carceral states,” Baxter said. “Celebrations of people who have survived it. The library is a third space, a safe space where people returning home can just be.”
“My installation is an example of what’s inside me and although I said I cannot heal, that doesn’t mean I can’t help others heal,” Greer said. “My installation is also a destination that I want to arrive at with memories of youthfulness and landscapes that provoke deep thought.”
“Whether it’s checking out books, writing to someone inside, or pulping your own paper,” Baxter said. “There are so many ways for people to plug in and dig in.”
“SEEN: In the Stacks” opened Aug. 9 and runs through Sept. 28 at the Minneapolis Central Library. Upcoming events:
What: Words Matter: Showing Up for our Incarcerated Loved Ones. A letter writing workshop.
When: Saturday, Aug. 16, 1-2:30 p.m.
Where: Doty Board Room, Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis.
More info: Details on the free event here.
What: Shredded Symbols: A Paper Pulping Workshop
For part one of our New Narratives workshop, personal “pain papers,” such as a criminal record, court papers, divorce decrees, invoices with medical debt, etc. will be shredded, pulped, and stretched into new canvases.
When: Saturday, Aug. 23, 1-2:30 p.m.
Where: Doty Board Room, Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis.
More info: Details on the free event here.
