Visualizing Abolition is a public scholarship initiative at University of California, Santa Cruz developed by Professor Gina Dent, Feminist Studies, and Dr. Rachel Nelson, Director, Institute of the Arts and Sciences. Supported by the Mellon Foundation, the program of art exhibitions, public events, postdoctoral fellowships, a faculty working group, and curriculum development reaches across prison borders to foster creative research, The aim is to shift the social attachment to prisons through art and education.

Participants and collaborators include: Frank Alejandrez, Ontario Alexander, American Artist, Sophia Azeb, Joanne Barker, Sadie Barnette, Ruha Benjamin, Sanford Biggers, Reginald BoClair, Reginald Dwayne Betts, Peter Brook, adrienne maree brown, Simone Browne, Cláudio Bueno, Denise Carrascosa, Terri Lyne Carrington, Sonya Clark, Patrisse Cullors, Sharon Daniel, Angela Y. Davis, Gina Dent, Emile DeWeaver, Joseph Erb, Luke Fidler, Nicole Fleetwood, Maria Gaspar, Jennifer Gónzalez, Erin Gray, Herman Gray, Sora Han, Craig Haney, Camilla Hawthorne, Kelly Lytle Hernandez, Sky Hopinka, Ashley Hunt, Isaac Julien, Titus Kaphar, J. Kēhaulani Kauanui, Savannah Kilner, John Jota Leaños, Nicole Marroquin, Chandra and Keith McCormick, Erica Meiners, Alexandra Moore, Claire Pentecost, Leigh Raiford, Beth Richie, Sherrill Roland, Zoé Samudzi, Dread Scott, Savannah Shange, Eric Stanley, Abram Stern, Bryan Stevenson, jackie sumell, Hank Willis Thomas, Barrios Unidos, Althea Wasow, Levester Williams, Ronaldo V. Wilson, James Gordon Williams, Albert Woodfox, Tim Young, Elvan Zabunyan.