Rutgers Academic Examines Art-Making as Strategy for Survival
Prisoners and other under-represented populations are Nicole Fleetwood’s focus
Hear an Interview with Professor Fleetwood On Prison Art, Public Culture and Racial Icons
If a common thread weaves through Nicole Fleetwood’s work, it would be how art-making is a strategy for survival among marginalized groups.
Fresh off winning a significant award for her previous book, Troubling Vision, a look at how black iconic figures such as Michael Jackson come to represent black culture in the eyes of the public, the Rutgers American studies professor is turning to the artistic practices of individuals serving time in the nation’s prisons.
“Given the racial breakdown of the prison population, a lot of the artists I’m considering are black, but the study does not focus exclusively on black artists in prison,” says Fleetwood, who has examined a range of genres as well as the collaborations between prison populations and artists outside the prison walls.
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