Democracy for all Week: Freedom of Expression: Journalism, Art and Justice

Enjoy these activites, all included with admission.

• Making Headlines Mini-Tour
  Available Daily at :35 past the hour
  Making Headlines explores the powerful intersection of journalism, incarceration, and censorship — past and present. Through discussion, storytelling and exploration of archival materials, this program examines the role of imprisoned writers, and the ongoing struggle for freedom of expression in prisons and jails. Reflect on who gets to speak, what stories are told, and how resistance takes shape through words.
   
• Museum Activities: Drop-in writing and art-making activities
  Available between 11-4:30 PM Daily
   
• Make & Take Activities Inspired by Freedom of Expression
  Available between 11-4:30 PM Daily
  Inspired by prison newspapers and the power of self-expression, these hands-on activities invite you to explore, reflect, and create:
  • Found Poetry – Use words and phrases clipped from historic sources—including prison publications—to craft your own blackout or collage poem. Make meaning from the margins.
  • Collaborative Crossword – Help solve a real puzzle from The Eastern Echo, a newspaper written and published by people incarcerated at Eastern State. Connect with the humor, intellect, and daily lives of writers from behind the walls.
  • Collage Button Making – Use vintage clippings, patterned paper, and creative cutouts to design a one-of-a-kind button. This hands-on activity is all about personal style, playful expression, and making something truly yours.

All materials provided—just bring your imagination!

This program is part of A Time for Liberty: Our Shared History, Our Shared Future, a yearlong slate of free, inclusive programs exploring the evolving meanings of liberty and justice in America. A Time for Liberty is made possible with support from civic and cultural partners including the City of Philadelphia, America250PA, Campus250, the Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial, the Philadelphia City Fund’s 2026 Milestone Grant Fund, supported by PECO, the National Trust Preservation Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program series, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.