‘Fractured, Not Broken’ on Display at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center

September 9, 2026

Interaction’s community quilt, made inside the prison and stitched by more than 100 community members throughout Windham County, on view through November 1st

Interaction and the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) are pleased to announce that Fractured, Not Broken is now on view at BMAC through November 1.

Designed, pieced, and painted by incarcerated participants in a quilting workshop at Southern State Correctional Facility (SSCF) in Springfield, Vermont, the quilt explores themes of transformation, redemption, resilience, and community connection. The project was made through a partnership between Interaction and the Vermont Prison Research and Innovation Network (PRIN) and seeks to create dialogue and build connections between people inside and
outside prison walls.

Community members adding stitches during July’s Gallery Walk

Following a community tour throughout Brattleboro this summer, Fractured, Not Broken now includes more than 100 stitches and messages contributed by community members,

“This project wasn’t conceived as an art piece that would be displayed in a museum some day. It came out organically from the work that our staff was doing with a group of men in the prison, and now with community members outside the prison.” said Russell Bradbury-Carlin, Interaction’s Executive Director, a local nonprofit that provides restorative justice programs, youth services, and mental health support in Windham County.

“We are honored to support this beautiful and important project, which exemplifies the powerful role art can play in personal and communal growth and healing,” said BMAC Director Danny Lichtenfeld. “We applaud our friends at Interaction and everyone else who participated in ‘Fractured, Not Broken’ for their artistry and for their commitment to strengthening our
community.”

Correctional facilities are among the most understudied public institutions in America. The quilt incorporates findings from PRIN’s Prison Climate Surveys, making information about the climate at SSCF visible through art. The exhibition also includes the song ‘Redemption Road’ written by
an incarcerated participant.

“Data can help us understand what is happening inside prisons, but numbers alone cannot tell the whole story,” said Abby Crooker, Director of the University of Vermont Justice Research Center and Vermont Prison Research and Innovation Network. “Fractured, Not Broken brings together data, art, and people in a way that invites conversation. The more than 100 community members who added their own stitches and messages remind us that prisons are not separate from our communities. They are part of them.”

Interaction and PRIN will host a free public gathering at BMAC on Thursday, October 15, at 5:30 p.m. to celebrate Fractured, Not Broken. The event will celebrate the completion of the project and the individuals and organizations who helped bring it to life.

The Prison Quilt Project was conceived and facilitated by artist and restorative justice practitioner Marie-Pierre Py of Interaction in partnership with PRIN. This project was made possible by the support of the Vermont Council for the Arts and by the University of Vermont’s Justice Research Center.