Spearheaded by Artistic Co-Director Suzanne Costello, SPDT’s Arts & Justice programs have been at the forefront of Arts & Justice movements across the country. Costello has devoted time to engaging and interacting with different justice-impact populations across the country, providing those behind bars a platform to tell their stories as they want to. Read more about SPDT’s Arts & Justice initiatives below.
I Believe
An immersive arts program led by SPDT’s Artistic Co-Director Suzanne Costello and visual artist Ariadne (Ari) Albright, I Believe invites those impacted by the justice system to explore their narratives through creative mediums such as movement, voice, writing, and visual art. Questions such as What is the intersection of a limitless idea in a limited environment? and How do these beliefs find expression? were explored, culminating in a final Mural Installation [as seen above] and Movement Stories.
This project emerged as it has historically been difficult for those behind bars to access the arts and the healing power of wellness within them. Since the premiere of I Believe in the fall of 2022, Albright and Costello have been able to bring this program to several institutions across the states and will continue touring exhibitions through 2025.
Moving Beyond Bars
The 6th World Congress on Parole & Probation
Artistic Co-Director Suzanne Costello was invited to present at the 6th World Congress at the Hague, the Netherlands in April 2024. Here, she presented on her work with incarcerated populations and invited attendants to participate in workshops like those seen in I Believe and Moving Beyond Bars.
“The 6th World Congress on Parole & Probation in The Hague, the Netherlands was an elegant, expansive and educational experience which brought together over 500 participants from 61 countries. It began with an Opening Welcome by Desmond Tutu’s daughter, Mpho Tutu van Furth. I was honored to have been selected to present at the conference. My session, Moving Beyond Bars / Reclaiming Identity through Creative Practice was attended by 30 participants from across the globe including Singapore, Latvia, Tasmania, Italy, Ireland, St. Maarten, Switzerland, UK and others. I engaged them in a sample workshop of how I work with justice-impacted groups including sharing personal stories through writing and movement. The session was so well received that all of the participants chose to stay past the time it was to end.” – Suzanne Costello, Artistic Co-Director of SPDT, on The 6th World Congress on Parole in The Hague
“In this inspiring episode of The Criminologist podcast, host Joseph Arvidson sits down with Suzanne Costello, a celebrated dance/theater artist and advocate for using the arts in rehabilitation and community engagement. Suzanne shares her 40-year journey in the arts and discusses her impactful projects with diverse communities, including incarcerated individuals.”
– The Criminologist Podcast
