Celebrating its 28th consecutive year, the University of Michigan’s Prison Creative Arts Project presented an art exhibition featuring more than 700 pieces crafted by people who are incarcerated across Michigan. On display at the Duderstadt Gallery Center and online, this diverse collection included intricate crochet work, pencil-drawn portraits and numerous other mediums.
PCAP, a program within the Residential College, is dedicated to collaborating with people who are incarcerated in Michigan to showcase their artistic talents. The organization works to illuminate the resilience of human creativity and the profound impact of art within carceral environments. In an interview with the Michigan Daily, Nora Krinitsky, director of PCAP and Residential College lecturer, outlined the program’s mission to foster communal collaboration.
“PCAP brings those who are impacted by the justice system together with the University of Michigan community for mutual collaboration, mutual learning and growth,” Krinitsky said. “In order to work towards our mission, PCAP has a number of programs including courses (and) creative arts workshops that happen inside prisons and in community settings. We publish an annual Literary Review, and … we mount an annual exhibition of visual art as well.”
LSA senior Libby Engel has been involved with PCAP for over three years. Engel’s involvement extends to participating in art selection trips for exhibitions and conducting tours of the exhibits. In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Engel said she works to help PCAP amplify the voices and talents of the artists.
“I was a volunteer who went into the prisons on selection trips,” Engel said. “(This year), I went to four prisons for selection trips… The selection process is the core of the show. Even though it’s cool to see all the art up, the selection trips are what make (the exhibit) function.”
Engel said, in previous years, the art was often categorized by medium. This year, the artwork was organized into more conceptual categories.
“The themes were more literal, like about the type of art like landscapes, animals, portraits,” Engel said. “(Now) they’re more thematic themes (and) about what’s being conveyed, the message.”
LSA senior Suzy Moffat, another long-standing member of PCAP, told The Daily how they collaborated to decide on this year’s themes. She said they moved selected art pieces to a conference room and laid all the art on the ground when making decisions.
“(We) spent an hour walking around and writing down theme ideas we had,” Moffat said. “We thought the intellectual groupings would be more interesting and make the exhibit more cohesive and also just dynamic, as a viewer. ”
The artwork featured in the exhibit explores a diverse spectrum of themes, spanning from expressions of familial love to contemplations on isolation. Krinitsky said she was proud of the breadth of themes represented within the exhibition. She said she believes that showcasing such a range of artwork challenges the misconception that people who are incarcerated only create art centered around their experiences of incarceration.
“Sometimes someone might expect to only find images of prison, or of suffering, of oppression,” Krinitsky said. “And another thing I’m really proud of about our show is that we have a whole range. There are stories about being playful, about whimsy, about satire, about experimentation, as well as stories that are about the experiences and the places that people are living right now.”
Moffat highlighted the exhibit’s aim to dismantle harmful preconceptions about people who are incarcerated and their artwork.
“I think an assumption with a lot of art produced inside prison is people either expect it to be bad, or they expect it to comment explicitly on their situation,” Moffat said. “(I hope visitors) realize that these are people, they have interests and they don’t have to draw pictures of hands gripping bars if they don’t want to.”
The exhibit serves as a platform for showcasing the artists’ diverse talents, interests and perspectives of individuals within the prison system, challenging stereotypes and offering a more nuanced understanding of their experiences and creative expressions. It attempts to foster a space of learning and collaboration, inviting visitors to engage with artists’ statements and contribute their own messages to prisoners. With over 600 artists’ statements available online and in person, visitors can gain insight into the artists’ gratitude for participating in the exhibit, their lifelong love for creating and the profound impact of art on their lives.
As the 30th anniversary of the annual exhibition approaches, Krinitsky said she is excited to continue showcasing the artwork of people who are incarcerated and hopes to delve deeper into the stories behind the pieces in future exhibits.
“We are just a couple of years away from the 30th anniversary of the show,” Krinitsky said. “I’m really hopeful that in the coming years, we can find more ways to tease out some of the stories that the art tells.”
As for the current exhibition, Engel said she hopes that visitors will recognize the transformative power of creativity and the inherent humanity of people who are incarcerated, a perspective often overlooked by society.
“I believe that no matter what circumstances you put people in, they will find a way to create,” Engel said. “I want them to see the talent, not just technical talent, but the beauty of people inside.”
Daily News Contributor Jenna Hausmann can be reached at jenhaus@umich.edu.