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Dear Community, For years, we have had the privilege of working alongside artists while they are incarcerated. Now, as more of the artists we know and support return home, we are deepening our commitment to the journey that continues beyond the prison walls. We are excited to share that Art from the Inside is now a National Affiliate of Ritual4Return (R4R) and has launched Ritual4Return: Twin Cities, our inaugural cohort. Ritual4Return is a process through which groups of returning neighbors create and perform a homecoming rite of passage to mark the transition from incarceration to freedom, regardless of how long they’ve been home. It is a demanding journey that invites participants to engage intellectually, physically, emotionally, and spiritually with their experiences of incarceration. The process offers an opportunity, in the presence and with the support of community, to acknowledge the impact of incarceration, work through those experiences, and move toward a new chapter. Ritual4Return was first developed by Dr. Kevin Bott in 2006 with a cohort of returned neighbors in Manhattan, and he has been offering programs in Newark, NJ twice a year (with the exception of the pandemic) since 2019. Past participants attest to the singular power of this experience, and R4R now has emerging chapters in Camden, NJ; Boston, MA; and Honolulu, HI. Of these, R4R: Twin Cities / Art from the Inside is the first National Affiliate to host a full cohort program outside NJ, thanks to generous funding through the MN Humanities Center. The Twin Cities cohort began in September and will continue through December. We are honored to be walking alongside this group of returning neighbors as they undertake this powerful process together. This inaugural Twin Cities cohort is being led by an experienced Minnesota-based team: Isabel Nelson, Director; Adana Patrice, Drama Therapist; and C. Fausto Cabrera, Peer Facilitator. Together, they bring artistic, therapeutic, and lived experience perspectives to guide participants through this powerful process. At Art from the Inside, this work feels deeply connected to what we have been building. Our mission has always been about creating opportunities for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people to express themselves through art, experience transformation, and share their stories with the broader community. Save the Date: December 12On December 12, 2026, the Twin Cities cohort will share a public presentation of their Ritual4Return homecoming ritual. Please save the date - we would love to have our Art from the Inside community there. This work is funded in part by Minnesota Humanities Center with money from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund that was created with the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008. Help Us Build Future CohortsLaunching Ritual4Return in the Twin Cities is an important new step for Art from the Inside, but this is just the beginning of this chapter. We want to make Ritual4Return available to more returning neighbors in the years ahead. Your support can help make that possible. A donation to Art from the Inside helps us sustain programs like Ritual4Return and build the organizational capacity needed to offer meaningful arts opportunities to people both inside prison and as they return home. If you believe that people deserve the opportunity to heal, reconnect, create, and imagine a new future after incarceration, we invite you to invest in this work. DONATE TO SUPPORT RITUAL4RETURN AND FUTURE COHORTS If you prefer, you may also make a donation by check to Art form the Inside. We are a registered 501c3 and your donation may be tax deductible. Art From the Inside MN
P.O. Box 28552
Oakdale, MN 55128-0552 We are honored to bring Ritual4Return to the Twin Cities and to be part of a national network using ritual and community to recognize the profound journey from incarceration to freedom. Thank you for believing in the artists we serve, in the possibility of transformation, and in the power of a community willing to make space for people coming home. With gratitude, Jessica & Antonio Espinosa
Art from the Inside MN
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