press

Marooning Bodies

Brianna Mims’s latest project imagines collective futures through play.

Abolitionist Aesthetics and the Abolitionist Movement:

Los Angeles Grassroots Organizations and the Aesthetic Foundations of Real-Time Abolition

Art As a Radical Tool for Realizing Abolition

How a growing collective of musicians, dancers, playwrights, and visual artists are using their practices to shift the narrative around the U.S. criminal legal system

How a hip-hop artist and a dancer are using art to reform the L.A. jail system

Along with a cadre of artists, the pair helped Reform L.A. Jails gather almost a quarter-million signatures to put Measure R on the ballot.

How Dance Artists are Addressing the U.S. Prison System in Their Work, Both Onstage and on the Inside

Mims joins a growing array of artists using dance to shed light on issues surrounding incarceration

Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch”

“I learned so much from my body about how to do abolition work, and so much around abolition informs the dances I’m making,” Mims says.

Brianna Mims uses movement to tell the story of Uncle Ronnie’s Room

Uncle Ronnie’s Room consists of four parts: a billboard campaign, an archival installation at Chuco’s Justice Center, a docuseries and a performance by Mims.

Catching up with Brianna Mims

Brianna Mims, a Class of 2019 alum, has been quite active since graduation with many collaborative projects.

Artist Brianna Mims on the Embodiment of an Abolitionist Framework

We spoke with Mims about her work, how she found her calling in the movement space, what abolition means to her, and how she curates projects that spark conversation and change.

Bright, Intimate Animations Relay Letters From Prison

The diaristic animations offer portraits of people grappling with their pasts, the weight of trauma, and the need for love.

An Amalgamation of Things

Mims pushes audiences to think about who the criminal justice system is for and how it disproportionately affects Black and brown communities.

Touching Everything & Holding Nothing:

An interview of artist, abolitionist, and facilitator Brianna Mims

Capricorn

The closer you get to the real thing, the stronger the pull of the opposite force becomes. It feels like they are trying to kill you.

Through both facilitation and interactive art experiences and performances, I create spaces for people to engage in dialogue, share perspectives, share stories, self reflect, empathize, and address and mitigate trauma.