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Linkage Community to Launch as Independent Initiative Supporting Artists Across Michigan Living Beyond Incarceration

Statewide Creative Network Will Transition from University of Michigan’s Prison Creative Arts Project on August 1, 2025

ANN ARBOR, MI — [June 11, 2025] After more than two decades of fostering creativity, connection, and opportunity for artists who are formerly incarcerated, the Linkage Community will officially transition into an independent initiative on August 1, 2025.


Founded as a mentorship program under the University of Michigan’s Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP) in the early 2000s, Linkage has evolved into a statewide, member-driven network supporting artists with lived experience of incarceration. With active members in Detroit, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Flint, and other communities across Michigan, Linkage is now recognized as the state’s leading peer-based creative reentry network.


“Linkage provides me with a platform to give a voice to those who are unable to speak because of incarceration,” said Johnny Van Patten, a Lansing-based visual artist and founding Linkage member.


On August 1, Linkage will begin operating independently under a fiscal sponsor, marking its departure from PCAP and the University of Michigan. The move provides autonomy to shape programming and set strategic direction, all while maintaining a collaborative relationship with PCAP.


“This transition is a testament to the creativity, vision, and leadership of Linkage members themselves,” said Nora Kritinsky, Director of the Prison Creative Arts Project. “We’re honored to have supported their growth and excited to continue working together in new ways.”


Linkage Community members co-create programming that fosters emotional wellness, artistic growth, peer navigation, and economic mobility. The network also provides holistic support and resource-sharing for individuals as they build lives after incarceration. Pillars of programming include:


● Belonging: “Welcome to Linkage” meals, one-on-one check-ins, in-person and virtual gatherings, weekly newsletter.

● Bridging Gaps: Personalized referrals to social services, travel support for in-person events, pre-entry parole board support, technology coaching, free digitization of artwork.

● Development: Exhibitions and performances, in-person intensives and trainings, project consultations, free art supplies, professional introductions.


A send-off fundraising campaign is underway to ensure a strong launch. Supporters can contribute at https://myumi.ch/VVDdV. Funds will help establish a sustainable foundation and ensure Linkage continues to welcome artists home from prison into a supportive and vibrant creative community. “At its core, it’s a network of people with lived experience of incarceration who believe in dignity, in each other, and in the power of creativity,” said Casey Ward, a creative writer, entrepreneur, and valued Linkage member. “We’ve made something rare: a circle where people are truly seen. Not for what they’ve been through, but for what they bring—their art, their insight, their care.”

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