Mark Strandquist is a cultural organizer who uses art as a vehicle for connecting diverse communities to build empathy and support for social justice movements.At the core of his practice is the belief that those most impacted by the criminal justice system are the experts society needs to listen to, and that by connecting those directly affected with a multitude of community experts and political stakeholders, we can create change on personal and systemic levels. His projects include: working with incarcerated youth to train police departments; to working with incarcerated individuals to design interactive public art installations that have engaged thousands; to organizing teams of lawyers, artists, and formerly incarcerated individuals to help clear the records of thousands of individuals.His work has received multiple awards, fellowships, national residencies, and reached wide audiences through the NY Times, the Guardian, NPR, the Washington Post, PBS NewsHour, VICE, and a multitude of other media outlets.