WHEN + WHERE

Opening reception: Wed. January 14, 5 - 7pm

Exhibition on view: Jan. 15 - Feb. 4, 2026

Gallery hours: Mon - Thurs, 9am - 6pm; Fri, 9am - 5pm

Helen Lindhurst Fine Arts Gallery, Watt Hall

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Unfinished Sentences is a figurative oil painting exhibition that explores the lived experiences of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals through narrative visual storytelling. Supported by the Rebekah and Howard Farber Fund for Student Excellence, the project centers voices and histories that are often overlooked, drawing attention to the humanity, complexity, and resilience of those impacted by the carceral system.

Rooted in personal connection to incarceration, the work emerges from experience witnessing how easily people become defined by their sentences rather than recognized as full, nuanced individuals. The series seeks to challenge reductive perceptions by engaging with real stories and reframing them through intimate, painterly representation.

The exhibition features oil paintings that bring new life to archival childhood photographs graciously shared by formerly incarcerated participants. These early images—fragmented, tender, and expressive—are paired with contemporary portraits of each individual, creating a layered dialogue between past and present. Through this pairing, the work aims to reanimate memory, acknowledge lost or obscured histories, and invite viewers into a space of empathy and recognition.

By weaving together portraiture and personal narrative, Unfinished Sentences builds a visual language that humanizes, restores agency, and deepens connection across the carceral divide. The project reflects an ongoing collaboration and a profound trust from those who have offered their stories, creating a collective portrait of experience that resists erasure and affirms the fullness of each life represented.