This timeline shows a small portion of the creative and activist work that has been undertaken over the years. We invite you to read and watch and take direct action on current legislation and efforts on our collaborators' behalf. Thank you for your interest, support, and time.
The Performing Arts and Community Exchange, PACE class, offered since 2007, strives to develop a collective process of creative and political change where 'inside' and 'outside' artists are working side by side to address the legacies of racism, white supremacy, and mass incarceration.
Numerous scholars and artists have shaped the class over the years - PACE would not have been possible without the care, labor, and insights of Dr. Reggie Daniels, Reyna Brown, Rayvon Williamson, Freddy Gutierrez, Calina Lawrence, Elle Jansen, Nicky Martinez, Kalea Francesca, Emile DeWeaver and the inside and outside students.
In 2021 the PACE class was conducted virtually to accommodate the COVID pandemic health restrictions. We were able to connect with our collaborators solely through email and in some cases by phone.
professor biographies
Amie Dowling (she/her)
Amie Dowling creates dance and theater for the stage, for film, and in community settings. For the past 20 years, her work has considered the politics and representation of mass incarceration. Well Contested Sites, a collaboration with Bay Area artists, some of who were previously incarcerated, won the International Screendance film prize. The next film, Separate Sentence, explores the generational impact of incarceration. The films along with their study guides are used in classrooms as tools to engage in conversations about mass incarceration. Amie is a member of the San Quentin Artistic Ensemble and an Associate Professor in the Performing Arts Department at the University of San Francisco.
Rayvon Williamson (he/him)
Rayvon is a registered drug and alcohol counselor who currently works as a Case Manager, serving men and women in Alameda County. He contributed to the class this semester as a co-teacher because he has been an artist who once collaborated with USF students in the past, and knows the process shared by the students and inside artists. The students got to know Rayvon not only as a co-teacher, but also as a husband and father - often encouraging and supporting them with wisdom and compassion throughout their process. The class was very different from past semesters given the health concerns and restrictions, but Rayvon implored the students to make it special.
Reyna Brown (she/her)
Reyna Brown is an artist, leader, activist, poet, teacher, director, and facilitator. As a teaching artist, Reyna has worked with students ranging from kindergarten to adults. Reyna uses storytelling and interactive theatre activities to create a playful atmosphere for communities to engage in difficult conversations and meaningful reflections about systems of oppression in America. She graduated from the University of San Francisco with a BA in Performing Arts & Social Justice: Theater and a minor in Peace and Justice Studies in 2019. In 2019, she interned with Governor Newsom’s legal clemency team where she advocated for the rights of those who are currently incarcerated to a fair chance at commutation. Reyna has been co-facilitating the PACE course for the past four years.
Performing Arts & Community Exchange