gallery: art from the inside
As part of the 2019 CALL Festival, the Fowler Museum Terrace was transformed into an exhibition of incarcerated artist’s work. Artwork was displayed and sold to benefit Was Incarcerated Productions (whose purpose is to tell real untold stories through art to change the narrative of incarceration and heal the heart). Many of the artists wrote about the healing nature of art, how it allows them to express themselves on the inside, give back to the community, and also how they use it to tell the truth about what is happening inside the prison system. Artworks displayed included found object art, poems, charcoal, acrylic paintings, graphite, ballpoint pen, and colored pencil from over 35 different artists who are currently incarcerated across the United States.
Some of the work displayed in 2019:
Artist: Eric Hare
Work: (graphite on paper)
CMC State Prison
San Luis Obispo, CA
Artist: Paul Stauffer
San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin, CA
Artist: Cuong "Mike" Tran
Work: Scare-O-Cell (found object art)
CMC State Prison
San Luis Obispo, CA
Artist: Ansar El Muhammad
Work: My Inheritance
San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin, CA
Artist: Andrew A. Valencia
Work: Russel Means
Avenal State Prison
Avenal, CA
Artist: Eric W. Davis
Work: Little Brother (poem)
Lancaster State Prison
Lancaster, CA
Artist: Orlando Smith
Work: The Protest Poster Campaign
San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin, CA
Artist: Johanna Lopez
Work: Separation (charcoal and pastel on paper)
ICE Detention at Suffolk County House of Corrections
Boston, MA