Art as Vehicle for Change
Our mission is to use art as an activist tool and provide alternative modes of healing that lead us into peace and teens into their unique positive power. Through our workshops we divert people away from the minefield that lands them inside jail to give care first and through our our exhibitions we create compassion for the crisis of mass incarceration that is needed to shift the paradigm.
Huma House has fought to bring sacred art objects to the public so their collective voice can be heard. The art survived the passage of prison and the incredible hurdles of re entry after coming home. Some of artworks we care for have been personally carried on the back of our co-founder who brought them out of prison, have been sent rolled up through the mail to family members, were labeled contraband inside prison, or pulled from hidden places to be shown in our exhibitions. We honor their message and their creator to use its power as a bridge to bring people closer together.
A Multifaceted Approach
Art Exhibitions
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We work with 15 artists who are currently or formerly incarcerated and have already put on 5 different art exhibitions in donated spaces all across Los Angeles, including a digital NFT show online. The shows feature artists that tell the human impact of incarceration in order to shift the paradigm of thought that keeps the injustice of mass incarceration alive.
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Huma House serves the artist and the public. We work in direct collaboration with the art room of Chino Men’s Prison in Los Angeles, with volunteer art teachers inside, likeminded nonprofits, and artist referrals to discover artists and amplify their message to the world. To serve the artists we provide 1:1 intensive mentorship, organization of their artwork inventory after coming home from prison, entrepreneurship guidance, personal art packing/handling services, connections to museum curators, and art cataloging. For the public, we provide free exhibitions that challenge narratives and use storytelling as an activist tool and bridge to bring people together.
Youth Program
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We provide programming for youth 14-18 years old to actively address violence that they encounter daily with powerful alternatives to integrate into their lives. The teens that we work with are on the verge of gang membership, are formerly incarcerated individuals who seek to rebuild their lives, and Transition Age Youth. We offer intensive socio-emotional support and creative interventions to help them learn how to address trauma and navigate the stressors that impact their wellbeing and their ability to maintain productive lives. We work with 7 different group homes in Los Angeles and Big Dogg Gang Intervention and Violence Prevention who connect us to the youth.
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We meet once per week for a 6 week period to produce a group artwork or complete a gardening project together. We use lived experience and expertise of public defenders to design a program that teaches violence prevention skills that can be used in the streets. We integrate these lessons in our art therapy classes and gardening workshops to make the material approachable and relatable for teenagers. We also introduce teens to local entrepreneurs to expose them to positive experiences. Our mentors are from the South Central Los Angeles community and show a deep level of care. Activities include alternative art history lessons that highlight ethno-culturally sensitive narratives to champion black and brown modes of expression.
