I Believe, A mural by participants at South Dakota State Penitentiary, 2023.

Moving Beyond Bars

Co-Created by Suzanne Costello & Ariadne Albright

On view October 11, 2025 - February 8, 2026

Reception: Sunday, October 12, 2025 | 1:00 - 3:00 PM

Rochester Art Center is proud to present Moving Beyond Bars, an immersive exhibition featuring monumental artworks and personal writings created by incarcerated women at the Florida Women’s Prison in Ocala, FL, and incarcerated men at the South Dakota State Penitentiary (Sioux Falls) and Mike Durfee State Prison (Springfield, SD).

Developed through residencies supported by the National Endowment for the Arts (2023–2024 and 2024–2025), the exhibition is led by Minneapolis-based dance/theater director Suzanne Costello and visual artist Ariadne Albright. At the request of incarcerated participants, this work has since toured to more than a dozen locations across tribal and rural South Dakota communities and most recently was presented at the Institute of Contemporary Art/ Miami in August.

Through large-scale murals, written reflections, video documentation, and an original soundscape, Moving Beyond Bars highlights the power of creative expression as a pathway for reclaiming identity and preparing for reentry into society. The exhibition invites visitors to engage deeply with the lived experiences, resilience, and humanity of incarcerated individuals.

“The potential that the arts present for incarcerated individuals, the prison culture, and the community at large cannot be understated. When a person has been reduced to a ‘number’ and defined by their worst mistake, the power of the arts for reclaiming identity and a sense of belonging is immeasurable.”

— Suzanne Costello, Artistic Director

Moving Beyond Bars began in 2022 as a program designed by Costello and has since been presented in prison and reentry environments across the U.S. Over the course of 2-3 week immersive residencies, Costello and Albright guide participants through group discussions, writing exercises, visual art practices and movement explorations that evolve into visual artworks and group performances presented at the conclusion. This process affirms each participant’s lived experience, making space for healing, expression, and transformation.

Contributors to the exhibition range in age from their 20s to their 70s, represent diverse cultural backgrounds including Native nations, and have prison sentences spanning from a few years to life without parole. Some participants had never engaged with art before, while others drew upon deep cultural traditions. For all, the program offered a rare and powerful opportunity to rediscover their essential selves.

“Because of this program, I feel excited about the possibilities my future holds.”

— Moving Beyond Bars participant

About the Organizers

Suzanne Costello is a dance/theater director, choreographer, performer, and educator with a 40-year career dedicated to storytelling and amplifying underrepresented voices. As Artistic Co-Director of Stuart Pimsler Dance & Theater (SPDT), based in Minneapolis, she has toured nationally and internationally, bringing her distinctive approach to movement and narrative across diverse communities.

Ariadne Albright, MFA, is a visual artist and educator whose work explores identity and belonging. With three decades of experience in arts and health, she has developed programs in prisons, hospitals, and community settings. Albright teaches arts in health at the University of South Dakota’s College of Fine Arts and was a founding board member of the National Organization for Arts in Health (NOAH).

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.