Sherrill Roland

Episode 47 features Sherrill Roland, an artist who spent too many months in prison for a crime he did not commit. Sherrill Roland is an interdisciplinary artist who creates art that challenges ideas around controversial social and political constructs, and generates a safe space to process, question, and share. He was born in Asheville, NC, and received an MFA in Studio Art from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Inspired by his experience in prison for a crime he did not commit, he founded The Jumpsuit Project to raise awareness around issues related to mass incarceration. Roland’s socially-engaged art project has been presented at Open Engagement Chicago, Oakland City Hall, and the Michigan School of Law. He was awarded the Center for Documentary Studies Post-MFA Fellowship in the Documentary Arts at Duke University in Durham, NC, and the Rights of Return USA Fellowship. After completing the Fountainhead Residency in Miami, Florida, Roland returned to North Carolina as an artist-in-residence at the McColl Center of Art + Innovation. In December, Sherrill was a recipient of the 2021 Creative Capital Award and the South Arts 2020 State Fellowship Award last May. Please see links for additional information. https://www.sherrillroland.com/ https://www.jumpsuitproject.com/ https://www.southarts.org/grant-fellowship-recipients/sherrill-roland https://creative-capital.org/2020/12/08/the-2021-creative-capital-awards/ https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674919228 http://www.numberinc.org/return-and-revisit-a-conversation-with-sherrill-roland/ https://www.charlotteobserver.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article235666932.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherrill_Roland https://qcitymetro.com/2019/09/06/sherrill-roland-sheds-light-on-mass-incarceration-through-art-residency/