Ongoing Conversations

About 40% of respondents had not known that the Michener Art Museum is housed in a former jail.

Respondents are very curious about the site and especially about the people who passed through the sallyport and spent time here. Here’s what they’d like to know:

• More stories about the people who were incarcerated here.
• Were there any escapees? How did they escape?
• What rooms of the art museum are part of the original buildings?
• What was the experience of the wardens’ families living on site?
• Were there any women incarcerated here?
• How does knowledge of it being a jail affect the feeling of the art?
• I’d like to know more about the start of the museum and how this building became a museum.
• I would love a more in-depth analysis of the architecture.

The way people think about justice, which refers to fairness and the way people are treated, can vary based on their lived experiences. We’ve received a variety of responses to the question “What does justice mean to you?” including:

• Justice is a commitment to decolonizing spaces, empowering marginalized voices, and transforming institutions by acknowledging historical inequities while fostering healing, dialogue, and restorative practices to ensure that all individuals are seen, heard, and respected.
• For people to be treated fairly and just.
• That there is equality among following laws and consequences when laws are not followed.
• Accountability, taking responsibility, karma playing itself out, and finally, forgiveness and letting go of the past.
• Both having a voice and being listened to.