The Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP) is proud to announce the Nineteenth Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners. Free and open to the public, it runs from Tuesday, March 25 through Wednesday, April 9 at the lovely Duderstadt Center Gallery on North Campus, 2281 Bonisteel Blvd. It is the largest prisoner art exhibition in the country, comprising more than 300 works by over 200 artists who were at one time housed among twenty-six prisons throughout the state. Above all, it’s quality, original art at great prices. And no, you can’t pay with cigarettes; however, the artists are often willing to cut deals. After all, they’re artists. And that’s the point. This isn’t primitive, stick-figure, one-dimensional crayon-art like we get from our children and grandchildren in grade school. Nor is it a Pollock-like splash job or a Miro-ish color bomb, not that there’s anything wrong with that. But this is mature, technically sophisticated and generally representational fine art. The show is curated by Janie Paul, Charlie Michaels and the indomitable Sari Adelson, who traveled from prison to prison across the state to personally select the works exhibited.
Interacting with the Artists
The Opening Reception is set for Tuesday, March 25 from 5:30-8pm at the gallery. Formerly incarcerated artists who have now re-entered the community (no, these are not escapees) will speak about what art has meant to them, and then they’ll open the conversation to the public for a Q and A. Daniel Heyns, Director of the Michigan Department of Corrections, will speak on the impact of PCAP within the prison community. The exhibit is accompanied by the release of the 6th Annual Literary Review of Creative Writing by Michigan Prisoners, “The Sky is on Fire, After All.” Readings from this anthology will be held in both the Ann Arbor and Detroit areas.
For a full schedule of readings, visit lsa.umich.edu/pcap/ The Duderstadt Gallery is open from 10am to 7pm Tuesday through Saturday, and 12 noon to 6pm on Sunday and Monday.
