In early 2022, a local group of artists, educators and activists conceived an arts-based program for the Orleans Justice Center (OJC), which was under new leadership for the first time in almost twenty years. Launched as a collaboration between ArtSpot Productions, BAR NONE by DeSign (BNbD) and the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office (OPSO), A.R.C.H. utilized programming in the Arts, Racial Justice, Culture and Healing to help shift New Orleans’ public safety paradigm from one of punishment to one of healing.
A.R.C.H. was designed to provide the people housed at OJC a creative and regenerative space in which to reflect on the circumstances that led to their incarceration (whether they actually did what they were accused of or not!); to dialogue and problem-solve collectively about their families’ needs during their incarceration; to conduct a deep dive into how the criminal legal system currently functions in our city, state and country; to gain tools that would help them and their families navigate this system; and ultimately to hone their artistic skills in order to deepen and broaden our collective efforts to dismantle and bring justice to the criminal legal system in Louisiana.
From 2023-24, A.R.C.H conducted multi-week group sessions in writing, performance and mural painting, and hosted several single-day presentations by outside artists and activists. In 2025, BNbD began leading sessions "Beyond The Walls," including new murals at Hunter's Field. For more information on current activities, follow A.R.C.H. on Instagram.
Tuere Burns (Co-Director): Executive Director of BAR NONE by DeSign/ Revolutionary Freedom Fighter/ former K12 Classroom Educator and Administrator/ Performing and Teaching Artist & Culture Bearer; Master's degrees in Educational Leadership and Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Equity, Ethics & Justice.
Gene Meneray: Arts Administrator. Co-Founder, The Ella Project, which provides pro bono legal assistance, arts business services, and advocacy to New Orleans’ cultural community.
Kathy Randels (Co-Director): Founding Artistic Director, ArtSpot Productions; Founding Co-Director of The LCIW Drama Club at The Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women; Founding Co-Director of The Graduates, performing ensemble of formerly incarcerated women; B.S. in Performance Studies, Northwestern University.
Alma Robinson: Executive Director, California Lawyers for the Arts; leader of National Expansion Arts-in-Corrections Project; Chief Yeye Bobatolu of Imasayi, Ogun State, Nigeria; J.D. from Stanford Law School; B.A. with Honors in History from Middlebury College.
Mathew Schwarzman: Co-Author of Beginner’s Guide to Community-Based Arts; former Executive Director of New Orleans Kids Partnership; Ph.D. in Integral Studies (Learning & Change in Human Systems) from California Institute for Integral Studies (1998).
