A SHOW OF HANDS
A Show of Hands is a simple art-based activity designed to build empathy, trust and inclusion. The project invites people from different and often oppositional communities to paint and imprint their hands on reclaimed pieces of wood, homemade paper, and other materials. The only criteria is that participants cannot paint their own hands, but must place their hand in another's, and take another's hand into their own.
The project was developed to contrast the practice of finger- and hand-printing people for identification when they are arrested. This imprint brands a person as a “criminal” -- often for life, disseminating that “record” throughout society in ways that create barriers to employment, housing, and civic inclusion.
There are an estimated 90-100 million Americans with criminal records. Prism Reform's A Show of Hands is designed to contrast and transform this process, creating a new experience and association with hand-printing – one that’s positive and creative, and allows formerly incarcerated and other marginalized people to reclaim their identity and self-agency while embracing, and being embraced by, the wider community.
In using safe yet intimate touch within a common creative process, A Show of Hands provides the space for value, trust and empathy to flourish between individuals and communities.
Participants are encouraged to sign and date their imprints, share them on social media, and include them in framed public exhibits. When seen together, the visual impact of different hands simultaneously expresses the creativity and uniqueness of each individual and the power and strength of community – our community.