Visual Art: James Yaya Hough
“When Hough was announced as the first artist to work with the DAO in November 2019, he was only a few months out from a 27-year prison sentence. He began his artistic practice behind prison walls after he was sentenced to life in prison for murder when he was 17. But in 2012, the Supreme Court deemed it unconstitutional to sentence juveniles to life, and he was released.
Hough began working with Mural Arts Philadelphia in 2006 while still in prison and has since publicly shared his experience of finding art and the potential for programs that focus on reforming over penalizing those in the criminal justice system. “I am humbled and honored to receive this residency,” Hough told NBC Philadelphia. “I feel that my whole life has been leading to this moment.” -full article
