Attention Vashon Visionaries
A Call for Participation
Add your voice to the public art installation “ABOLITION IS…” by artist, activist, Patrisse Cullors. We will accept contributions throughout the summer. Our hope is for all contributions to be thought provoking and to reflect a variety of experiences and perspectives. We will post all contributions except for any that are deemed to be potentially insensitive or hurtful.
Write a short or long form creative response to “ABOLITION IS…” via the online form. Titles or quotes from longer format pieces will be added to the art installation panels with a QR code link to the full piece which will be hosted at the top of this webpage.
Related Event:
The Dream Keepers, an Atlanta-based group of Black women scientists, recovery specialists and therapists who are reframing wellness for all with an infusion of somatics and the creative arts.
Reflection on art-making: “ABOLITION is … a dance response.”
Click image to read the Beachcomber article:
“Abolition is… ” by Patrisse Cullors

Left to right: Vashon spoken word artist Malea Dickerson, Patrisse Cullors, Nikkita Oliver
Installed at the Vashon Center for the Arts Breezeway on April 8, 2022,”Abolition is… ” is part of Patrisse Cullors’ neon light fabrication series that invites viewers to center abolition as a framework that urges us to heal, imagine, create and most importantly take action on the principles of abolition. The fiery red, attention grabbing installation is meant to give viewers pause, a moment to reflect on what this word means to us individually and collectively. The ellipsis is a call to action. Reminding viewers that ‘Abolition is … ” an invitation for joy, transformation, and possibility. We get to collectively define abolition and in that collectivity we get to move closer to imagination.
This neon light piece is designed by Patrisse Cullors and fabricated and installed by Dylan Neuwirth at Western Neon and made possible by Vashon Center of the Arts.