Art

[Courtesy of Prison Art Gallery] View the March Edition of Art for Justice, the Prison Art Magazine of the Prison Art Gallery at http://prisonsfoundation.org/marafj.pdf The new edition of Art for Justice features striking samples of Pano art from our extensive collection of this unique art form. Pano art is made by prisoners using handkerchiefs and bedsheets and is a prison tradition. Own a unique Pano today at a very special price. Also featured in the March issue of Art for Justice is extraordinary prison artist Anthony Curtis Dye. Anthony is incarcerated at Dooly State Prison in Georgia where, due to lack of art supplies, he is forced to become extremely creative in the fine art he produces. For example, he draws and paints on paper bags and cardboard scraps with paints created from materials such as wax, instant coffee, white out, mustard, creamer and spinach. "Wish I had a brush," he says. No matter, the results are unique and of museum quality. View and purchase one of his works now at a fraction of their worth. You will also find in the March issue of Art for Justice a selection of specially priced and beautifully matted prison art prints. There are 51 to choose from, ranging from landscapes to portraits to prison themes. At only $15 each (the custom matting alone is worth that), they are a steal. Purchase anything from the March issue of Art for Justice and they will be shipped to you anywhere. Or get them at our Prison Art Gallery, 1600 K Street NW, Suite 501, Washington, DC. Open everyday, M-F 9-5, Sat & Sun 1-5. For further information, please email [email protected] or call 202-393-1511.

[Courtesy Prison Art Gallery] You can read the latest issue of Art for Justice now! View and purchase new art arrivals created by imprisoned artists from across America, shipped anywhere in the world. You can also purchase any of our beautiful extra large 48 PRISON ART PRINTS, now on SALE for ONLY $10 each Check out the new edition of Art for Justice (Feb. 2008), the official prison art catalog of the Prison Art Gallery in downtown Washington, DC (three blocks from the White House) at http://prisonsfoundation.org/febafj.pdf. Also in this issue you can find out how you can become an official art mentor to struggling prison artists by enrolling in our FREE workshop taught by prison officials and ex-prisoner artists. Visit http://prisonsfoundation.org/febafj.pdf for more details. If you have any questions, please call 202-393-1511. When in Washington, DC, please visit the Prison Art Gallery. Located downtown at 1600 K Street (three blocks from the White House), the Prison Art Gallery is served by two Metro stations (Farragut North on the Red Line, and Farragut West on the Orange and Blue Lines). Note that the entrance is on 16th Street, at the corner of K Street. Open Mon to Fri, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Saturday and Sunday, 1:00 to 5:00 PM (also open evenings by appointment - groups welcome - admission is always free) To shop online, please visit http://prisonsfoundation.org/catalog.html or click the image to the left. Thank you.

[Courtesy of Prision Art Galley] Here's What You Get FREE when you visit our website www.PrisonsFoundation.org now! Complete CDs of your favorite music performed by ex-prisoner musicians, and access to daily News You Can Use updates and complete archives. All absolutely FREE! We have some very special treats in store for you when you visit our newly expanded website www.PrisonsFoundation.org. No sign-up, password, or anything else required. Just come and get! You can download complete music CDs performed by the Prison Art Gallery Guitar Ensemble. Choose one or all of the following ten CDs, each over an hour, and now absolutely FREE: Mostly Motown, Beatles Forever, Latin Love, Duke Ellington Songbook, Rogers and Hammerstein Songbook, Carole King Songbook, Gershwin Songbook, Classic Jewish Songs, Hoagy Carmichael Songbook, and Irving Berlin Songbook. Also, you can get Free daily installments of News You Can Use featuring the latest national, global and local prison developments from authoritative sources. Our archives go back years, so whatever prison-related subject you're looking for, you'll find it here. FREE. Don't Miss Our Upcoming FREE Reception Featuring Judge Arthur Bennett You are cordially invited to attend a free reception at the Prison Art Gallery, 1600 K St NW, Washington, DC (three blocks from the White House) featuring a talk by Judge Arthur Burnett. There will be a question and answer period following Judge Burnett's presentation. Refreshments will be served. If you ever wanted to know more about the inner workings of the judicial system that sends so many people to prison, this is a rare opportunity to find out. Senior Judge Arthur L. Burnett, Sr., now on leave from the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, currently serves as the Executive Director of the National African American Drug Policy Coalition. In that capacity he seeks alternatives to incarceration, including the use of drug courts and treatment instead of prisons. His influential Coalition consists of twenty-three professional organizations of lawyers, doctors, dentists, nurses, social workers, sociologists, psychologists and other behavioral scientists. Judge Burnett graduated from Howard University summa cum laude and received his law degree from New York University in 1958. He commenced his law career that year in the Attorney General's Honors Program at the United States Department of Justice in the Criminal Division. In 1965 he became an Assistant United States Attorney in Washington, D.C. where he prosecuted homicides, among other cases. In 1968 he became the first General Counsel of the Metropolitan Police Department in the District of Columbia. After serving in other distinguished positions, he was appointed by the President of the United States to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia in 1987. Please join us for this special Free event on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2008, at the Prison Art Gallery, 1600 K Street NW, Suite 501, Washington, DC. For further information, please call 202-393-1511 or email [email protected].

We are pleased to announce that the October edition of the Prison Art Gallery art catalog, Art for Justice, is now online at http://prisonsfoundation.org/octafj.pdf You can also purchase a hard copy of it on Monday, October 1, when it is published (as usual) as a full-color special section of Street Sense, the nationally recognized progressive periodical published in Washington, DC for socially conscious people. Get your copy of Street Sense from the more than 50 Street Sense vendors in Washington wearing the bright-colored Street Sense vests. To view/download the October edition of Art for Justice online, please visit http://prisonsfoundation.org/octafj.pdf. All of the art featured in Art for Justice can be purchased at the Prison Art Gallery, 1600 K Street NW in downtown Washington, DC (open every day until 5:30pm) or by email at [email protected] or phone at 202-393-1511. Thank you for your interest in these superb, reasonably-priced works produced by imprisoned artists from across America. For more information, please call 202-393-1511.

For Immediate Release: August 7, 2007 Contact: Tony Newman at 646-335-5385 Artist, Activist Tony Papa to Highlight Cruel Drug War with Art Installation at Criminal Justice Conference at John Jay College in NYC on August 9-10 Show Visually Depicts Major Tragedies of Drug War: “Two Years for One Joint”; “HIV Due to Dirty Syringes”; “Racial Disparity of Drug War” Papa Discovered Art in Prison and Painted His Way to Freedom after 12 Years Behind Bars Under Draconian Drug Laws Noted artist, activist and author Anthony Papa will highlight the casualties of the war on drugs in an art installation during a conference titled “On the Edge: Transgression and the Dangerous Other on August 9 and 10 at John Jay College of Criminal Justice located at 899 10th Ave. in New York City. The conference will involve presentations, art and photographic exhibits, music, spoken word performances and film screenings centered around the concept of a new criminology for the 21st century. “The Drug War” is an art installation by artist/activist Anthony Papa. The installation is a multi-media presentation that visually portrays some of the most compelling drug war issues in the news. The visual narratives in the installation are powerful reminders of the raging war on drugs that ravages many of our communities. “The use of art as a political weapon is not new,” says Papa who discovered his political awareness through his art and has used his art as a vehicle to fight the drug war. “Through history, the role of the artist as a social commentator has been invaluable.” “Like Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ and Goya’s ‘Third of May,’ which both powerfully portrayed the atrocities of war, my installation follows their lead in revealing the impact of America’s drug war. Papa spent 12 years in prison for a first time non-violent drug offense. While imprisoned, he discovered his artistic talent. In 1995, after a showing of his art at the Whitney Museum, his case attracted national attention. Two years later, New York Governor George Pataki granted Papa executive clemency. Papa currently works for the Drug Policy Alliance. The installation highlights issues that affect all Americans, whether they use drugs or not. It is steeped in a continuous motif of an upside down American flag, which signifies the universal concept of the state of distress in war. “Justice in Black and White” shows the racial imbalance of the effects of the New York’s Rockefeller Drug Laws. Ninety-four percent of those incarcerated under the laws are black and Latino. Ten crying babies dress in prison garb dangle in front of their incarcerated mothers and ask “where are our mothers?” “Two Years in Jail for One Joint” shows the madness of the drug war. Mitchell Lawrence, an 18-year-old was sentenced to two years in jail for one joint by an over zealous prosecutor in Massachusetts. A single golden joint sits in a silver jewelry box surrounded by dozens of candles “Give Them All Dirty Needles and Let Them Die” - taken from the cruel quote of TV’s “Judge Judy” - boldly illustrates how New Jersey is the only U.S. state that lacks a needle exchange program. Dozens of bloodied syringes penetrate a coffin draped with the New Jersey flag. In “Cops or Docs” a marijuana plant asks the question who should decide what medicine we should put in our bodies. “Got a Cold? Prove it and Sign the Log” portrays the hoops Americans must now jump through to buy cold medicine due to the federal government’s desire to monitor our everyday actions in the name of the curbing the methamphetamine “epidemic.” Papa hopes the installation raises awareness for those in mainstream society who rarely think about the drug war. “I use my art as a means of visually translating the deep emotional responses of the human condition,” Papa said. “My life choices forced me to discover my hidden artistic talent.” For more conference info: www.jjay.cuny.edu/ontheedge/

The masterful virtual tour of the Prison Art Gallery that Verizon put together, thanks to director Colby Hartburg, is something that the 2.3 million men and women can be proud of. Folks can look forward to seeing it broadcast on the Verizon-sponsored TV news magazine show "Push Pause." See it now on YouTube by clicking http://youtube.com/watch?v=oK-EVL_mE_I Located three blocks from the White House, the Prison Art Gallery is served by two Metro stations (Farragut North on the Red Line, and McPherson on the Orange and Blue Lines). Note that the entrance is on 16th Street, at the corner of K Street. Open Mon to Fri, 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM, and Saturday and Sunday, 12:30 to 5:30 PM (also open evenings by appointment - groups welcome - admission is always free).

Giveline.com is an online store created for the justice-minded shopper, offering more than a million bestselling products including books, movies, music, electronics, housewares, gifts and more. Every purchase generates a substantial donation to the Prisons Foundation - an amazing average of 16% of store sales, sometimes as high as 33%. Giveline has great products, great service, and great prices - the only difference between Giveline and other major online retailers is that every purchase earns money for our organization. Check it out today at http://www.giveline.com/default.asp?v=V072409564. We are about to go to press with the next monthly issue of Art for Justice, showcasing new art received by the Prison Art Gallery from talented prison inmates across America. If your organization would like to use space in it to make an announcement to reach over 20,000 readers in and out of prison, please contact us at 202-393-1511 or [email protected]. To view the current issue of Art for Justice (note the space used by NORML and The Aleph Institute on the last page), please visit www.PrisonsFoundation.org/ project2_newsletter.html. When in Washington, DC, visit the Prison Art Gallery. Located three blocks from the White House, the Prison Art Gallery is served by two Metro stations (Farragut North on the Red Line, and Farragut West on the Orange and Blue Lines). Note that the entrance is on 16th Street, at the corner of K Street. Open Mon to Fri, 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM, and Saturday and Sunday, 12:30 to 5:30 PM (also open evenings by appointment - groups welcome - admission is always free).

[Courtesy of the Prison Art Gallery] We are pleased to announce that the first edition of the Prison Art Gallery art catalog is here! It has been published as a special full-color insert in Street Sense, the nationally recognized periodical published in Washington, DC for socially conscious people. Get your copy of Street Sense from the more than 50 Street Sense vendors in Washington wearing the bright-colored Street Sense vests. To view the prison art section online, please visit www.PrisonsFoundation.org/ project2_newsletter.html. All of the art pieces on display can be seen and purchased at the Prison Art Gallery. You can also have the art shipped to you by ordering online at www.PrisonsFoundation.org/ project2_newsletter.html or by phone at 202-393-1511 using PayPal or a major credit card. Thank you for your interest in these superb, reasonably-priced works. We look forward to assisting you in acquiring your favorite pieces for home or office at prices that fit your budget.

Thousands of people visit our Prison Art Gallery in Washington, DC, and/or our outdoor exhibit at the corner of K St and Connecticut Ave NW, DC. But what about the many art lovers and justice advocates who don't come to DC? Now we have a way for you to view and acquire outstanding prison art. Introducing our first ever online auction. It's being done in partnership with NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) who will use a portion of the proceeds to further its important work. As usual with any prison art we offer either on our own or through a distinguished nonprofit such as NORML, a substantial portion of the proceeds goes to the incarcerated artists who created the work. As a prisoner of 10 years duration (and currently a performing artist), our director Dennis Sobin insists on no less. Please click the link below to be part of the auction excitement. You'll be helping hardworking people in and out of prison while helping yourself to bargains in superb original art. For more information, see http://www.prisonsfoundation.org/. Directions: Located three blocks from the White House, the Prison Art Gallery is served by two Metro stations (Farragut North on the Red Line, and Farragut West on the Orange and Blue Lines). Note that the entrance is on 16th Street, at the corner of K Street. Open Mon to Fri, 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM, and Saturday and Sunday, 12:30 to 5:30 PM (also open evenings by appointment - groups welcome - admission is always free)

[Courtesy of the Prisons Foundation] Last fall, the Prisons Foundation attempted to do outreach work and raise funds on the streets of Washington by showing and selling prison art and other items related to our work. We were stopped by the police who said we needed a vendor's license to continue. We contested this and spoke to the local ACLU who agreed to handle the matter.