March 20, 2011 - 4:26pm
Prisoner artwork showcased at the 'U'
BY ERIN STEELE
From Mar. 22 to Apr. 6 in the Duderstadt Gallery on North Campus, there will be an art exhibit free and open to the public. I know what you’re probably thinking: Can’t a fine arts writer think of something different to blog about than an art exhibit? But this isn’t a typical exhibit. The Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP) is displaying The 16th Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners. Other events will accompany the exhibit, such as a keynote speech by Columbia University professor Kathy Boudin on the history and current state of incarceration in the United States and a panel discussion with curators of the exhibit as well as formerly incarcerated artists.
Featured works include not only paintings and drawings, but a film screening of an experimental 3-D documentary and an anthology of prisoners’ creative writing. The poems, short stories and fiction will be read to attendees either by the writers themselves or by their families.
The exhibit provides an amazing opportunity for students to educate themselves not just about art, but about prison life as well. For years, PCAP has been providing public access to an unconventional source of art and has been showing everyone that Michigan’s prisoners have something beautiful to contribute .
The gallery will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday and Monday. For more information call (734) 647-7673 or email prisonart@umich.edu.
