Creating Freedom

Creating Freedom is an exhibit of artwork intended to share first person stories, hopes, and fears of incarcerated people. The majority of the pieces in this exhibit have been created by currently incarcerated artists, many of whom have life sentences or are on death row: Leonard Jefferson, Charles Zafir Lawson, Eduard Ramirez, Freddie Rodriguez, Luis David “Suave” Gonzalez, Daniel Gwynn, Darrell Mastrigt, and Doug Johnson.

“Life in Pa” by Charles Zafir Lawson

Also on display is the work of Mary DeWitt who, for over 25 years, has chronicled the stories of women with life sentences by painting their portraits, adding narrative text and recording their voices, so that they may tell their stories in their own words. To view a video of the women lifers Mary painted at Muncy State Prison in Pennsylvania sharing their stories via their song “This is Not My Home,” click here. In addition, audio commentaries by the women depicted in Mary DeWitt’s portraits can be found at her website.

Creating Freedom will be on display in the Barn’s gallery from February 1 – May 4. 2015 and in the Main House dining room from February 18 – May 4, 2015. There will be a reception on Sunday, February 22, from 2-4pm, in the Barn. The exhibit will coincide with the Ending Mass Incarceration and the New Jim Crow conference at Pendle Hill which takes place from April 29 – May 3, 2015.

Click for more information about the Art for Justice organization, which has helped bring us the work of these nine artists. For information on Broken On All Sides, a collaborative book and film by Matt Pillischer and Leonard Jefferson, please visit the Broken On All Sides website.

“Final Solutions” by Leonard C. Jefferson