The Fourteenth Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners
The 14th Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners
March 24, 2009 – April 8, 2009
Opening reception March 24, 2009 5:30 – 8pm
Duderstadt Center Gallery
University of Michigan North Campus
2281 Bonisteel Boulevard
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Directions
Exhibition Hours:
Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Sunday – Monday, 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.
See below for a full schedule of events for the 14th Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners.
For more information, call 734-647-7673 or email prisonart@umich.edu
NATION’S LARGEST PRISONER ART EXHIBITION ADDRESSES GLOBAL CLIMATE CRISIS
ANN ARBOR, MI – The Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP) presents the Fourteenth Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners. The artwork featured in PCAP’s Annual Exhibition over the years has addressed a wide variety of social issues, this year focusing on climate change. Incarcerated people being cut off from the natural landscape have witnessed the widespread poisoning and consumption of the Earth’s natural resources in poignant and innovative ways. The artwork in this year’s show gives voice to these observations.
From March 24 – April 8, 2009, the show will be held at the Duderstadt Center Gallery on the University of Michigan North Campus at 2281 Bonisteel Boulevard. Over the past decade, this nationally recognized show has grown to be the largest exhibition of prisoner art in the country. This year’s exhibition will include more than 300 works of art by over 200 artists, shedding light on the talents to be found behind prison walls and encouraging the public to take a second look.
Free and open to the public, the exhibition and surrounding educational events raise awareness and inspire dialogue between the incarcerated and the community at large. The public is invited to an opening reception on March 24th from 5:30 - 8 p.m. in the gallery. Formerly incarcerated artists who have now reentered into the community will speak about what the show means to those in prison.
Participating artists express gratitude to organizers and gallery visitors alike, stressing the show’s impact on their lives and the community at large. “I believe that your program gives the public a glimpse into the type of things that inspire even the most downtrodden of us all” writes one artist. “When people see our work, for a few moments, they forget that this work was done by a felon, but by another human being. A human being who has the same thoughts, emotions, and inspirations as they do, and for that one moment, a major social and political barrier is shattered.”
Despite limited resources, exhibition artists create work in a rich range of styles, mediums, and themes. Visitors return to the show year after year to glimpse art that is remarkable for its originality, beauty, and sheer expressive power. Last year, over 4,000 people came to the exhibit. Organizers expect even higher attendance this year and an exciting array of new work.
This year’s exhibition, curated by Professors Buzz Alexander, Janie Paul, and Jason Wright, exhibits work from over forty prisons throughout the state. The curators, PCAP Administrators Lashaun phoenix Moore, and Sari Adelson, along with various volunteers travel to these prisons to hand select the strongest work from the artists. As a result of this annual event, the amount of art created in Michigan prisons has increased dramatically, and Michigan prison artists have become national leaders, inspiring others to create art behind bars.
The Prison Creative Arts Project will be celebrating the release of the first annual Literary Review of Writing by Michigan Prisoners in conjunction with the 14th annual exhibition. The lit review contains writings from both men and women incarcerated across the state of Michigan, and will be celebrated with formerly incarcerated writers and guest editor, Joey Bathanti, reading excerpts from the review.
The exhibition is to be accompanied by keynote speeches from acclaimed author of A Kind and Just Parent, and Chicago Citizen of the Year, William Ayers, poster artist/political activist Malaquias Montoya, and award winning author of Coventry, Joey Bathanti. In conjunction, a panel discussion on women and children inside prison will be held with journalist Silja Talvi, and executive director of Our Children’s Place, Melissa Radcliff. For a complete listing and description of events, please contact PCAP.
Exhibition hours are 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Tuesday - Saturday, and 12 p.m. - 6 p.m. Sunday - Monday.
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Editors: Photos of art work and gallery available upon request.
Reporters: Option of previewing the show on Monday, March 23, upon request.
Watch a brief preview of the PBS documentary “Acts of Art: The Prison Creative Arts Project” here: http://www.michigantelevision.org/
Fourteenth Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners
Schedule of Events
March 24, 2009-April 8, 2009
Gallery Hours:
Tue – Sat: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Sun – Mon: 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.
For further information
call 734-647-7673 or email prisonart@umich.edu
Tuesday, March 24
Opening Reception
Join the Prison Creative Arts Project as we celebrate the opening of the 14th Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners. Formerly incarcerated artists, and Curators Buzz Alexander, Janie Paul, and Jason Wright, will address visitors to the gallery at 6:15 p.m. Free and open to the public.
5:30 – 8:00 p.m., Duderstadt Center Gallery, 2281 Bonisteel Blvd., Ann Arbor MI
Wednesday, March 25
Bill Ayers
Join us as Bill Ayers, Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of Illinois and Chicago Citizen of the Year, talks about the role of the arts, education, and activism in shaping our collective destinies. Bill Ayers is the author of several books on education and social justice and is the founder of Chicago's Small Schools Workshop and the Center for Youth and Society.
7:30 p.m., Rackham Amphitheatre, 915 E. Washington St.
Thursday, March 26
The Michigan Review of Prisoner Creative Writing: Book Release and Celebration
PCAP and the 14th Annual Exhibition of Prisoner Art present an evening in celebration of PCAP's first ever Michigan Review of Prisoner Creative Writing. Join us with guest editor and prisoner writing advocate and teacher Joseph Bathanti to enjoy selections of the beautiful and unabashed poetry, prose, and fiction of Michigan's incarcerated writers. We come together on March 26th to celebrate and honor the talent and vison of these hidden voices with readings by recently released writers whose work has been featured.
7:00pm, Anderson Room, Michigan Union, 530 S. State St.
Friday, March 27
The Art of Social Change
Malaquias Montoya, a Professor at the University of California, Davis and renown Chicano artist, will present his latest exhibit, “Premeditated: Meditations on Capital Punishment.” This exhibit was inspired by Malaquias’s longstanding commitment to speaking out on behalf of those who are disadvantaged and oftentimes silenced by society. His art reveals the underlying racial and class injustices that are carried out through state sponsored execution, and his images are purposefully graphic so as to awaken audiences from their anesthetized response to capital punishment. In all of his work Malaquias sees it has his responsibility to comment on the culture of his time and create social change through art.
7:30 p.m., Henderson Room, Michigan League, 911 N. University Ave.
Saturday, March 28
Youth Speak
Please join us as a group of Detroit youth come together to discuss serious issues of urban living. It will be a facilitated dialogue with these bright young leaders about the challenges they face, and then an open discussion with all in attendance about these same challenges.
2:00 p.m., Room D, Michigan League, 911. N. University Ave.
Sunday, March 29
Artists Talkback
Join us as a panel of formerly incarcerated artists discuss works in this year's show and the process of creating art behind bars. The event is moderated by U of M’s School of Art and Design Professor, Janie Paul.
3-5 PM Duderstadt Center Gallery, 2281 Bonisteel Blvd., Ann Arbor MI
Wednesday, April 1
Tough Choices: A Look at the Complexities of the Michigan Parole and Commutation Board
Join us for a conversation about the process by which the Michigan Parole and Commutation Board reach
decisions determining whether a prisoner is ready to return to society.
4:00 p.m., Anderson Room A/B, Michigan Union, 530 S. State St.
Monday, April 6
Invisible Women: The Crisis of Incarcerated Mothers
Silja Talvi, investigative journalist, and author of Women Behind Bars: The Crisis of Women in the US Prison System, and Melissa Radcliff, Executive Director of Our Children’s Place, a residential initiative allowing young children to live with their incarcerated mothers, join us to discuss the intersections of incarceration and motherhood.
7:30 p.m., Rackham Assembly Hall, 915 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, MI
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Closing Reception
5:30 – 8:00 p.m., Duderstadt Center Gallery, 2281 Bonisteel Blvd., Ann Arbor
Gallery Hours
Tuesday-Saturday 10am-7pm
Sunday-Monday 12pm-6pm
For further information
call 734-647-7673 or email prisonart@umich.edu
*Watch a preview of Acts of Art: The Prison Creative Arts Project at:
http://www.michigantelevision.org
Another World.
A film by Rob DeMilner.
Filmed inside Jackson Prison, Another World is a surreal journey of life behind bars with the paintings providing a window into the prison world – fractured, graphic, and surrealistic - and a paint brush is a means of escape.
Made from a Grant from the Michigan Council of the Arts. Running time 15:00
Sunday, March 29, 2009 at 430 pm
A screening of the film will be held in conjunction with the 14th Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners.
Screening will be located in the Duderstadt Center Gallery.
Are We Community: A Linkage Exhibition of Art II
Sponsored by the Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP)
November 9 – December 19, 2007
Exhibition Features Formerly Incarcerated Artists
and Community Arts Mentors at Focus: HOPE Gallery
Detroit – A thought-provoking exhibition of artwork created by formerly incarcerated artists and their mentors will open in the Focus: HOPE Gallery with a reception on November 9. Presented by the Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP) in partnership with Focus: HOPE, the exhibit is entitled Are We Community: A Linkage Exhibition of Art II and will run through December 19. The opening reception is open to the public from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. in the Gallery, 1400 Oakman Boulevard, Detroit.
Featured artists are participants in PCAP’s Linkage Project, a program which links formerly incarcerated artists and writers with arts mentors in their community. Mentors help support returning artists as they make the transition back into the community, while working with them to develop their artistic mediums. This year’s unique exhibition will include more than 75 works of art, shedding light on the talents of formerly incarcerated citizens and encouraging the public to think about the challenges facing individuals once they are released from prison.
Free and open to the public, the exhibition will raise awareness and inspire dialogue between the formerly incarcerated and the community at large. At the opening reception, the artists will speak about PCAP’s Linkage Project. The reception also will include live performances by previously incarcerated spoken word artists and the screening of a new documentary film by Katherine Weider entitled, “Acts of Art: The Prison Creative Arts Project”.
Despite the intense challenges and limitations formerly incarcerated citizens face in Michigan, including a lack of employment opportunities, healthcare, and transportation, and limited community resources for assistance and treatment, exhibition artists continue to create work in a rich range of styles, mediums, and themes. Visitors who attended the first Linkage Exhibition of Art in 2005 were stunned by the expressive pieces of art. Over 1,000 people visited the exhibition in 2005, and organizers of this year’s exhibit expect even higher attendance and an exciting array of new work.
GALLERY HOURS:
The Focus: HOPE Gallery is open from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday –Friday and by appointment. Contact Annette Vanover, Focus: HOPE Community Arts Manager, at 313-494-4376 for tour information.
The Focus: HOPE Gallery is a community arts initiative designed to raise awareness of Focus: HOPE’s civil rights mission. In addition to arts-related projects, Focus: HOPE has education and training programs, community development projects, and a food program that assists 43,000 women, children and senior citizens each month. www.focushope.edu
Editors: Photos of art work and gallery available upon request
CONTACTS:
Mary Heinen
University of Michigan
734-647-6771
linkageart@umich.edu
Annette Vanover
Focus: HOPE
313-494-4376
vanovea@focushope.edu
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PCAP's Professor of the Year
In recognition of his teaching and his work with the Prison Creative Arts Project, Buzz Alexander was named by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education as the National Winner of the 2005 Professor of the Year for Doctoral and Research Universities
To read more about the award visit:
http://www.case.org/Content/POY/Display.cfm?contentItemID=5660 |
