Our Justice Through Art initiative furthers the Sorensen Center’s mission to advocate for international peace and justice. The Center curates cutting-edge public exhibitions and forges creative collaborations between lawyers and artists. Justice Through Art brings new perspectives and depth to legal challenges and explores the transformative impact of art and law.
Art has been an integral part of the Center’s engagement with peace and justice efforts since our inception. Pictured here is musician, singer, songwriter, actress, and philanthropist, Alicia Keys performing at the Center’s launch in 2014.
Guantánamo [Un]Censored: Art from Inside the Prison
Marking the 18th anniversary of the opening of Guantánamo Bay prison, this art installation features works created by men incarcerated without charge or fair process at the infamous facility. The exhibit showcases works – the majority of which have never before been displayed – of thirteen current and former Guantánamo prisoners and celebrates their creativity and resilience.
Featured artists: Mansoor Adayfi, Moath al-Alwi, Djamel Ameziane, Mohammed al-Ansi, Ghaleb al-Bihani, Towfiq al-Bihani, Assadulah Haroon Gul, Khaled Qasim, Sabry Mohammed al-Qurashi, Ahmed Badr Rabbani, Abdulmalik al-Rahabi, Mohamedou Salahi. Writings by: Abdullatif Nasser
Students view works created by Khaled Qasim
The wall installation of 1001 Voices at CUNY Law
1001 Voices
By Warren Lehrer and Judith Sloan
Inspired by Emma Lazarus’ The New Colossus, the 1001 Voices exhibition highlights CUNY Law’s commitment to support and protect immigrants through clinics, community partnerships, scholarship, student groups, and work of alumni. The launch event featured Cesar Vargas, New York’s first undocumented lawyer; the artists; Professor Nermeen Arastu; and a performance by the choir from the Queens College Aaron Copland School of Music.
Weights and Measures
By Bradley McCallum
As the Center’s inaugural artist-in-residence Bradley developed a large-scale visual exhibit titled Weights and Measures. Weights and Measures includes a series of oil paintings that appear as solarized scans and photorealistic portraits of individuals charged by international courts and tribunals, juxtaposed with portraits of international justice advocates.
Portraits hang side by side in the windows at CUNY Law