November 15, 2001

Media Contact: Lea Nickless Verrecchia

305-375-5362

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Miami artist Xavier Cortada is currently working with juvenile offenders aged 14 – 18 who are incarcerated at Turner Guilford Knight Corrections Facility waiting to be tried or sentenced as adults. These youth have been transferred, or direct filed, to adult criminal court, and are participating in ArtCARE: Outreach to Juveniles Being Tried as Adults. As part of this project, 140 youth will write a message that Cortada will incorporate into a collaborative mural. A smaller group of youth will make drawings, write poetry, create a rap recording, and participate in video and photography sessions. A public exhibition showcasing the mural and other materials related to this project will open on January 25, 2002, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Casa Grande Cultural Center, [104 S.W. 9th Street, Ground Level in Miami. See http://cortada.com/calendar.htm for more information, map and directions.] After the exhibition, the mural will be installed in the lobby of the Office of the Public Defender. ArtCARE: Outreach to Juveniles Being Tried As Adults is a collaborative effort of The Office of the Public Defender and Miami-Dade Art in Public Places. For information on interviewing participants, viewing the program, or learning more about the direct file system, call Lea Nickless Verrecchia at 305-375-5362. These youth, on the threshold of entering the adult court punishment system, are in need of support programs and guidance as they make the transition to adulthood under the harshest of conditions. This program will provide the benefits of arts access by using art as a vehicle for these youth to develop self-awareness and to share their life experiences with each other and the community at large. The various projects created by the youth during this phase of ArtCARE will be designed to caution other youth about the consequences of delinquent behavior and to educate the public at large about the direct file process and its many consequences, including having youth lose the right to vote before being able to vote for the first time. The underlying premise of the exhibit is that the direct file approach treats these children as if they are little adults who are not salvageable, and frequently denies them an opportunity to turn their lives around. Florida leads the nation in juvenile transfers to criminal court. In fiscal year 1999-2000, nearly 3,300 juveniles were transferred to adult criminal court in Florida. Rather than placing youth in the revolving door of adult probation, prison and boot camps, they could be sentenced to intensive and long-term juvenile commitment programs such as Bay Point Schools. Such commitment programs have a record of successfully rehabilitating these adolescent offenders who are often emotionally unformed and in desperate need of support, education, and guidance as they enter adulthood. Miami-based Cuban-American artist, attorney and activist Xavier Cortada combines his passion for art with a deep concern for social and political issues and a belief in the power of art as an agent for social change. He has worked collaboratively with diverse groups across the United States, Latin America, Europe and Africa to create pro-social community murals and participant-driven art projects. Locally, Cortada has served as Artistic Director of various efforts sponsored by Miami-Dade Art in Public Places, including Master-Peace (a school-based art project in Miami-Dade County Public Schools) and PATH (Public Art Transforming Housing in Miami-Dade Housing Agency). In 1999, he worked with youth in the County’s residential dependency and delinquency programs to create the mural that hangs in the façade of the Juvenile Courthouse. ArtCARE: Outreach to Juveniles Being Tried as Adults is a continuation of an ongoing ArtCARE program providing the benefits of arts access to juvenile offenders. Miami-Dade Art in Public Places received funding from the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs Community Grants Program and is in partnership with the Office of the Public Defender. ArtCARE: Outreach to Juveniles Being Tried As Adults is an aspect of the Anti-Violence Initiative established by Public Defender Bennett Brummer to help clients lead law-abiding lives.