8 GROUNDCOVER NEWS PRISON ARTS Bask in the Light Art Show 2023 U-M SCHOOL OF PUBLICH HEALTH, BLACK AND PINK Bask in the Light is an art project that centers the work of people incarcerated in the state of Michigan who identify across the LGBTQ+ spectrum and/or are living with HIV/AIDS. The show opening was held on April 13, 2023 at the Michigan League on the University of Michigan Ann Arbor campus. This event represents the culmination of a year of work by Black and Pink volunteers at the School of Public Health and Michigan Medicine, and many, many letters sent back and forth through prison walls. Through their work, ten participating artists express longing for community and connection, desire for healing and repair, and resistance to incarceration and heteronormativity. The title of the show, Bask in the Light, comes from the work of artist Ladi Dä, reflecting the strength and beauty of transgender, gender non-conforming and intersex individuals trapped in the prison industrial complex. This project was funded by a DEI Innovation Grant at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and the Carceral State Project at the University of Michigan. Ladi Dä I Am Ladi Dä. My survival depends solely upon my Activism. My art is inspired by the daily experiences of the transgender, gender nonconforming, and intersex individuals trapped in the Prison Industrial Complex. It is meant to keep us inspired and remind us that everyone knows: “WE ARE THE STRONGEST INDIVIDUALS IN THE WORLD.” Take it from someone who's spent over two decades incarcerated for a crime they did not commit. This piece was drawn on an MDOC grievance form with a segregation pen while housed in Solitary confinement where I currently reside. Love you, Ladi Dä. “Bask in the Light” JULY 14, 2023 “Won’t Explain” Painted coasters
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