Life Means Life: Angola Prison Hospice

“Life Means Life: Angola Prison Hospice” will explore an essential question: is everyone in jail dangerous? Close to 80 percent of men incarcerated at the Louisiana State Penitentiary will die behind bars. In 1998, isolation cells were repurposed as hospice rooms and volunteers from the prison population were trained to provide comfort, care, and last requests to the patients. To raise money for the program, volunteers began sewing and selling quilts. These quilts—and the artists who create them—are the embodiment of creativity, care, and hope.

In this program, artists Steven Garner and Gary Tyler, formerly incarcerated volunteers in the Angola hospice, will share their quilt work and stories with the audience. Photographer Lori Waselchuk will describe her powerful series, Grace Before Dying, which documents the hospice program and explores how the men assert and affirm their humanity and creativity in this environment. Activist Anthony Hingle Jr. will explain how his passion to help others grew while working and caring for men in the infirmary wards and medical dormitories while in Angola. The program will be moderated by Norris Henderson, founder and executive director of Voice of the Experienced (VOTE).

“Life Means Life: Angola Prison Hospice” is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Captive State: Louisiana and the Making of Mass Incarceration, on view at 520 Royal Street through January 2025.

At 5 p.m. Captive State will be open to program attendees for a private viewing with curators. All registered attendees are encouraged to arrive early to view the exhibition. The Shop at the Collection will also be open from 5–6 p.m.

At 6 p.m. the panel discussion will begin with a light reception immediately following.