Call Declined Tells the Story Behind the Returning Artists Guild
Call Declined, a four-part podcast series from Lemonada Media, tells the story of Returning Artists Guild co-founders Aimee Wissman and Kamisha Thomas—from the experiences that led to their incarceration to the friendship, creativity and shared vision that eventually became the RAG.
Hosted by Melissa Beck and presented by the Sozosei Foundation, the series explores the systems that failed Aimee and Kamisha before incarceration, their experiences inside Dayton Correctional Institution, the challenges of reentry, and the role art played in building connection, possibility and a path forward.
The final episode, “Answering the Call,” turns directly to the origins of the Returning Artists Guild. Aimee and Kamisha share how they built a community to support incarcerated and formerly incarcerated artists and discuss their vision for a future beyond mass incarceration. The episode also brings in philanthropic partners to explore why investing in art and directly impacted artists matters.
Together, the series offers a history of the RAG, but more importantly, it shows why the RAG exists—and how lived experience, friendship and creative practice became the foundation for building the community and support its founders wished had existed for them.
The series was also recommended by the Pretrial Justice Institute, which called it a “compelling, heartfelt listen.”
Listen to the podcast