will collaborate with West Coast Credible Messengers and UCLA Underground Scholars in a performance liberating him.
Alberto Lule uses readymades, mixed media installations, video, performances, and tools used by agencies of authority to examine and critique the prison industrial complex in the United States, particularly the California carceral state. Using his own experiences as a formerly incarcerated person and also a researcher for the University of California, he aims to tie the prison industrial complex to other American political issues, such as immigration, drug addiction, mental health, and challenges faced by unhoused people. Lule creates artworks that explore institutional roles as gatekeepers of knowledge, authorities of culture, administrators of discipline and enforcers of punishment. Lule has been an art instructor in correctional facilities at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles County as well as the Orange County Juvenile Detention Facility in Anaheim CA.
West Coast Credible Messengers is a network of formerly incarcerated leaders, mentors, and advocates committed to breaking cycles of violence and incarceration through transformative mentoring. Rooted in lived experience and community-based leadership, our work empowers justice-involved individuals to reclaim their narratives and become agents of change. Through mentorship, advocacy, and creative expression, we foster healing and social justice in impacted communities. Our programs center on youth engagement, restorative justice, and leadership development, creating pathways to success beyond the criminal legal system. At Justice + Art Jam, we bring our passion for change to the stage, using art and dialogue to spark deeper conversations about justice, healing, and the power of credible messengers in shaping a more just world.
The UCLA Underground Scholars supports building a prison-to-school pipeline through recruitment, retention, and advocacy. By creating a pathway for formerly incarcerated and system impacted individuals into higher education, we directly challenge the stigmas associated with our community. By supporting a prison-to-school pipeline, the Bruin Underground Scholars Program cultivates a healthy community and pathway for formerly incarcerated and system impacted people to thrive in higher education.