Screenings of A Letter to the City: “Jail is not my home” by Kirsten Leenaars and Circles & Ciphers

Fri, Dec 9 - Fri, Dec 9  2022

On December 9, 2022, 6-8pm, Weinberg Newton Gallery will host the world premiere of A Letter to the City: “Jail is not my home” by Kirsten Leenaars and Circles & Ciphers. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers. There will be a second screening on December 16, 5:30-8:30 at the United Church of Rogers Park.

A Letter to the City: “Jail is not my home” by Kirsten Leenaars and Circles & Ciphers, is shaped by letters written by young people who are incarcerated, and weaves these deeply personal stories through performative actions and image making into our social fabric. The documentary reflects on the ways in which the prison-industrial complex affects individuals, families, communities, and the city.

A Letter to the City: “jail is not my home” preview from Kirsten Leenaars on Vimeo.

The screening is part of the public program around Can you see me?, a collaborative three-part exhibition exploring the impact incarceration has on young people. Across three galleries at Weinberg Newton Gallery, artwork by currently and formerly incarcerated young people, contemporary artists and arts-justice organizations explores themes of ascendance, innocence and freedom. This exhibition aims to not only highlight the humanity and potential of young people affected by the juvenile justice system, but to create new aspirational possibilities for how art can be a tool of justice and healing. Visitors have the opportunity to interact and contribute to the exhibition, leaving with a lasting impression of humanity instead of criminality, perseverance instead of violence, and hope instead of despair.

A second screening takes place on December 16, 2022: