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Brazil: Taking Arts Behind Bars

Since 1990, students from the University of Michigan have been facilitating fine arts workshops in local men's and women's prisons. From theater to creative writing, incarcerated men, women, and youth are able to engage in workshops within their facilities. In 2016, these students took to a global stage, exploring prison arts in Brazil. For one month, students explored Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where they entered into prison complexes, leading and participating in theater workshops. In a time of political struggle and preparation for the Olympics, both facilitators and participants were able to use art as a form of expression and rehabilitation.