Recap of the 2025 Resilience Fest. Video by The Local Lab.

coming fall 2026!

We are so grateful to the artists and audiences who made our first-ever Resilience Fest possible. We were proud to partner with 50 currently and formerly incarcerated artists who shared performances with more than 400 attendees in 2025.

With your support, we can’t wait to celebrate another year of art and community at Resilience Fest 2026!

Donate

"I left knowing that we need to fight more for those that are incarcerated and the ones that are at home now."

—2025 Resilience Fest audience member
"I am so proud of the love and joy the festival brought to me and the community."

—2025 Resilience Fest audience member
"I was so honored to be able to attend this festival and to see the beautiful art that was created by all of the participants! It was a beacon of hope and light in the midst of our current reality!"

—2025 Resilience Fest audience member
"When is the next one?"

—2025 Resilience Fest audience member

thank you to our 2025 sponsors & community partners!

city of chicago department of cultural affairs & special events

woods fund chicago

definition theatre

joseph & bessie feinberg foundation

illinois humanities

the local lab

chi fresh kitchen

walls turned sideways

challenge ii change

il alliance for reentry & justice

university of chicago center for the study of race, politics & culture

revolution brewing

still point theatre collective

women’s justice institute

reparations media

writers from all sides of the moon

The Resilience Arts Festival highlights the human experience from the perspective of people impacted by the criminal legal system, told by award-winning writers who have lived it.

Support the 2026 festival and donate today!

interested in becoming a 2026 sponsor? email gina@chicagotorturejustice.org