Claire de Mézerville López welcomes IIRP alumnus Joseph Iacona to the Restorative Works! Podcast.

We are joined by Joseph as he takes us behind the scenes of projects in schools, libraries, prisons, shelters, and behavioral health facilities, revealing how restorative practices create authentic collaboration between artists and communities. He shares powerful stories, including a mural co-created with youth aging out of the foster care system—a project that evolved into a living, breathing space of connection and care years after the paint dried.

As a featured speaker at the IIRP’s upcoming World Conference on Artful Integration, Joseph offers a preview of his presentation on the parallels between successful public art projects and restorative leadership. He issues a call to action for more intentional partnerships between artists and restorative practitioners to use art as a tool for authentic collaboration and social change.

Joseph is a visual artist and restorative practitioner. He has initiated more than 100 community art projects in schools, libraries, museums, prisons, shelters, behavioral health facilities, and other public service centers. As the director of the Mural Arts Institute for Mural Arts Philadelphia, the United States’ largest public art nonprofit, he develops resources on community driven mural-making for other artists and public art advocates around the world. Joseph holds a Master of Science in Restorative Practices with a specialization in Community Engagement from the IIRP and a Bachelor of Fine Art with concentrations in painting and art history from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. He's an upcoming featured speaker at the IIRP's next World Conference on Artful Integration, Exploring the Art and Science of Restorative Practices.

Tune in to hear more from Joseph as he explores how defining “community” is an essential first step, and how tools like narrative mapping can uncover shared values and vision.