About Our Project

The Art of Innocents is an artistic representation of the work done by the Ohio Innocence Project (OIP). The project combines visual art, poetry, and written word in order to tell the stories of just a handful of people wrongly convicted of crimes, and subsequently exonerated. The project also serves to shed light on the issue of wrongful incarceration and the effects it has on the convicted. These exonerees are indeed exonerees, but they are human first. They have stories to tell, and they deserve to be heard. We aim to tell these stories; stories of loss, of injustice, of time stolen. But we also tell a story of hope, a message that all those currently wrongly imprisoned can find strength in knowing: Nothing is impossible, and there is hope for them.

Members and Experiences:

In Order: Mikaela Wormely, Jamin Byrd, Angel Gibbs, Kai Linnere, and Michael Stewart.

Mikaela Wormely:"I really enjoyed the project as a whole. My favorite part was the final art gallery. This was because I enjoyed seeing the exonerees faces light up when they saw it all come together and saw how much we made for them. I’m glad we got to help such an important organization and glad I got to be there from the beginning in this project. It really made me realize how things in the court and law systems really need to change. It gave me a new energy to go out and fix things, and I am forever grateful for that."

Jamin Byrd:"I never thought I would be apart of something as important as the Ohio Innocence Project. Being able to get to know and bond with a a handful of the exonerees has been an extraordinary experience for me. Until working with them, I had no idea of how many people get wrongly convicted each each year. I'm pleased that we were able to raise 2,000 dollars for them. I hope that goes a long way to help out and free any innocent people who were wrongly imprisoned. I hope to keep working with them and if I could, I would do it again."

Angel Gibbs:"I was nervous all the time. I was around very important people and was always worried if I did or said something right or wrong and I felt under pressure a lot of the time. This project was different for me because I’m use to being around things opposite from this. Overall, it’s life-changing to me to meet exonerees and officials who stood by and helped them. I would do this all over again."

Kai Linnere:"For me, this was a really great experience. Doing this project was eye-opening; I'd never really thought about the fact that the justice system was wrong sometimes. The number of people who are wrongly convicted completely shocked me. I've always had a volunteer spirit, so I really enjoyed being able to learn about the situation, help the OIP, and make a difference in people's lives. I was able to impact something much bigger than myself, and that's an amazing feeling. Moving forward, I hope to be able to continue to help those in need."

Michael Stewart:"The experience was very enlightening. I learned a lot throughout the course of this link project. I learned about the injustices and flaws in the justice system and the emotional damage wrongful conviction has done to the exonerees. I am very humbled and thankful for the opportunity to bring the flaws of our justice system and contribute to a great cause.