The 29th Annual Exhibition of Artists in Michigan Prisons, the largest and longest-running exhibition of its kind in the world, returns with new events aimed at shedding light on experiences of incarceration in Michigan.
Curated by the Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP), the show features 772 artworks by 538 artists incarcerated in 26 Michigan prisons. The exhibition will run from March 18th to April 1st in the Duderstadt Gallery on the University of Michigan North Campus. Attendees can also see a digital version of the exhibition by visiting PCAP’s website.
This year a new event, “Art and Music: A Collaborative Concert,” will feature original student musical compositions created in response to some of the artworks in the exhibition.
“The concert serves as a way to promote both the artwork by the amazing artists in PCAP as well as the project itself by continuing its goal of empowering and uniting with people impacted in our justice system through our shared love of creativity,” said Ty Bloomfield, one of the concert’s organizers.
The concert will take place on Friday, March 28th, at 8pm in the Earl V. Moore Building on the University of Michigan north campus. According to Emily Chase, PCAP Exhibition and Curatorial Coordinator, similar themes of community resonate throughout the exhibition.
“During our [art] selection trips, we were inspired by the common theme of community that emerged across the state, as well as through our thematic analysis of the collected artworks. We witnessed experienced artists mentoring newcomers and saw how the artistic efforts of one individual can motivate and inspire others,” Chase said.
This sentiment is echoed by artist Charlisa Wood, whose work is featured in the exhibition. In a recorded interview for the exhibition’s audio tour, Wood spoke of how her artwork helps her feel connected to her mother, saying, “It’s almost like sending her a little piece of myself.”
Wood went on to speak of the impact she hopes her work can make: “My place in the world is to help people understand the different things that goes on in society, the generational things, the things that hurt or the things that make you feel really happy, and I can do that using yarn.”
Mattie Levy, PCAP Community Outreach Coordinator, also spoke to how the exhibition can foster a feeling of connection between those incarcerated and the outside world, saying, “Their voices are so often silenced, and this is one of the few areas where they can feel heard.”
The exhibition, presented with support from the Michigan Arts and Culture Council and the U-M Residential College, will open at 5pm on Tuesday, March 18th and sales will begin right away. A reception and program will follow at 6:30pm and 7pm, respectively. For the remainder of its run, the exhibition will be open from 12pm to 6pm on Sundays and Mondays and 10am to 7pm Tuesdays through Fridays.
The works displayed will be available for sale, with the full asking price, minus necessary taxes and fees, remitted to the artists inside. To support this important program, the Prison Creative Arts Project will be collecting donations to support the exhibition on U-M’s annual Giving Blueday, which falls on Wednesday, March 19th.
A variety of styles and media are featured, including paintings, portraits, tattoo imagery, landscapes, sculpture, fiber arts, and found materials. The pieces are selected each fall by a team of volunteers, including students, who visit every prison in the state, bearing witness to the unique challenges incarcerated artists face when practicing their craft. Some of these stories will be made available to the public as part of an audio tour during the exhibition.
The Prison Creative Arts Project’s mission is to bring those impacted by the justice system together with the University of Michigan community for artistic collaboration, mutual learning, and growth. Founded more than 35 years ago, the program has grown to include undergraduate classes, weekly arts workshops in Michigan prisons facilitated by U-M students and community volunteers, an annual exhibition and annual literary review, and other events throughout the year.
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