Past a dim walkway, Seabury Hall opens into a tall interior lined with colorful mosaic tiles. On April 3 and 4 an art exhibit filled the room. One piece on display, a folded paper sculpture of a skull, was made by Ariel Bueno, a Northwestern Prison Education Program student.
Bueno was among the 36 NPEP students whose art was displayed at the program’s third annual art exhibit. The works ranged from individual oil paintings to collaborative sculptures.
The exhibit was co-hosted by NPEP, the Undergraduate Prison Education Partnership and the Visibility Initiative, an NU student organization advocating for inclusivity in art displayed at the Pritzker School of Law.
Weinberg junior and incoming UPEP Co-President Joyce Wang said the exhibition aimed to humanize incarcerated people, provide an opportunity for the students’ family members to connect with the students’ art and celebrate creative talents.
Wang said the exhibit was centered around the idea of epistemic reparations. The term, coined by NPEP Director Jennifer Lackey, describes victims facing injustices, including incarcerated people, claiming their “right to be known,” according to the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs.
“Incarcerated people do not have a say in the construction of stories and narratives around them, and this art exhibit serves as a way to counterbalance that,” Wang said.
QR codes at the exhibit allowed visitors to send messages to artists.
NPEP student Jimille Brown created an artwork titled “See me” with the artist statement “Let’s find Happiness within ourselves.”
“It’s both exciting and humbling for your voice to be heard from behind the walls,” Brown said in a statement to The Daily. “It strengthens the assurance that I’m being heard.”
Art pieces by NPEP students on display included an upside-down U.S. flag made partially with blue strings by Jason Samuels, paper towels blotched with thick black lines titled “Can You See Me?” by Keisha Jones and a landscape painting called “A Little Piece of Impossible” by Ian Valencia.
Third-year Pritzker student and Visibility Initiative member Jordan Plunkett said she appreciated conversations with students about the art-making process.
One of the pieces she discussed was “Solar Peace” by Mark “Yohanan” Dixon.
“The student who did this piece was like, ‘Am I really an artist? I’m just going to pick up some collage paper and see what I can do with it,’” Plunkett said, referring to Dixon’s collage.
“Solar Piece” ultimately became a collage centered around an image of the sun to symbolize the abundance of life.
Weinberg junior Leonie Bahanuzi, who came to the exhibit with her friend, said a collage titled “Time I Could Never Get Back” with a mirror at the center by Taki Peacock stood out to her.
“The idea of you having to live with yourself every day — that time flips by you, and you have no autonomy – that’s heartbreaking,” Bahanuzi said.
Evanston community members, including 9th Ward resident Karen Thomson, also attended the exhibition.
Thomson is the founder of Literature for All of Us, a local book club for youth in underserved communities.
“The arts are very important educationally, as well as emotionally and holistically,” Thomson said.
Bahanuzi said she was on the UPEP executive board in 2025 and hopes more people support events like these.
She added that students on the Evanston and Chicago campuses should remember that NPEP students are part of the University, too.
“We all have a responsibility to learn more about our community, and these are NU students,” Bahanuzi said. “You can really learn a lot by understanding someone’s struggles.”
Correction: A previous version of this story misidentified Leonie Bahanuzi. The Daily regrets this error.
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