Prisoner Art for Social Justice September 24, 2012

The Arts Center @ John Jay inaugurates its space with the first exhibition, 'Prisoner Art for Social Justice,' curated by Dr. Thalia Vrachopoulos. The artworks in the exhibit are from Art for Justice, a Pennsylvania based non-profit organization. Founded in 1997, Art for Justice supports prisoner art to stimulate dialogue on ways to prevent crime, reduce levels of incarceration, and find humane, effective ways to improve the criminal justice and corrections systems. Featured in the show are paintings by 11 artists from Graterford and Greene State Correction Institutions in Pennsylvania. The artists are self-proclaimed as wrongfully convicted or guilty, seeking redemption. The artists (with the exception of one) are either serving sentences of life without parole or have received the death penalty. The exhibition spans a broad range of art media, from the traditional oil, acrylic and watercolor paintings to one painted with coffee and one with toothpaste & markers. The works also include a comic book series titled Death Row Comics' and various other works done in mixed media.