Who We Are

What is PCAP?

It is nascent or developing social justice work, or identity, or web making
You see we are spiders
Spinning sinews entangling "us" with "them," felon with father,
Poet with blue jumpsuit, orange stripes,
Blue tee-shirt, maize letters, all caught in an artist’s web too interwoven
with humanity to remember the gulf between orange stripes, and maize letters

-from "What is PCAP?" by Becca Pickus, PCAP member 2009-present


The Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP) is an organization that facilitates the opportunity to create original works of art in correctional facilities, juvenile facilities, and urban high schools across the state of Michigan.  Learn more about how we do this.

Founded in 1990, PCAP is run by members of the University of Michigan and surrounding community and is based in the U-M Department of English Language and Literature. In all of our activity both inside facilities and out, we work with respect for institution rules/regulations and foster close collaboration with the facility staff to whom we are responsible. From responding to queries and requests for documentation to inviting facility staff to sit-in and get a feel for what we're doing, we strive to continually enhance and improve cooperation between our organization and our partner facilities.