Due to unforeseen circumstances, this event has been canceled.

The poet and the visual artist discuss their joint artistic and literary project, which confronts the abuses of the criminal justice system.

The work of both visual artist and filmmaker Titus Kaphar and poet, memoirist, and attorney Reginald Dwayne Betts sheds light on the violences of incarceration and the underexplored contradictions of American history. Inspired by their 2019 show at MoMA PS1, Redaction unites their different mediums to expose the ways the legal system exploits and erases the poor and incarcerated from public consciousness. Betts contributes his signature redacted poetry, which relies on legal documents for its source material. It is paired with Kaphar’s etched portraits of incarcerated individuals.

Betts and Kaphar discuss their exploration of history, incarceration, and race in America.

To join the event in-person | Doors will open 30 minutes before the program begins. For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission. All registered seats are released shortly before start time, and seats may become available at that time. A standby line will form 30 minutes before the program.

To join the livestream | A livestream of this event will be available on the NYPL event page. To receive an email reminder shortly in advance of the event, please be sure to register! If you encounter any issues, please join us on NYPL's YouTube channel.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Reginald Dwayne Betts is the author of Felon, a New York Times Notable Book, and is founder and CEO of Freedom Reads, a first-of-its-kind organization which builds specially curated micro-libraries in prisons for people who are incarcerated and corrections staff.

Titus Kaphar is an acclaimed painter, multimedia artist, and the founder of NXTHVN (Next Haven), a nonprofit arts hub in New Haven that empowers emerging artists and curators of color through education and access. His work has been included in solo exhibitions at the Seattle Art Museum, the Studio Museum in Harlem, and the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC; in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art, among others; and has appeared on the cover of Time magazine.

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ACCESSIBILITY

In-Person | Assistive listening devices and/or hearing loops are available at the venue. You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation) captioning service by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail template. This venue is fully accessible to wheelchairs. 

Livestream | Captions and a transcript will be provided. Media used over the course of the conversation will be accompanied by alt text and/or audio description. You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.

CONNECT

Please submit all press inquiries to Sara Beth Joren at least 48 hours before the event: email sarabethjoren@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.

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Reginald Dwayne Betts © Mamadi Doumbouya
Titus Kaphar © Merik Goma