GOVERNORS ISLAND — A new exhibit is helping prisoners escape — through their art.
More than 200 artworks created by inmates from across the country are on display on the peeling walls of an old home on Governors Island, part of a show called “Escaping Time.”
Intricate pieces, some made with whatever the prisoners had available — a bed sheet as canvas for a pencil-drawn portrait of a mother and her child, cafeteria coffee used as brown watercolor paint, or toothpaste for paint primer — cover two floors of the 19th century building, once a home for naval officers.
The vast majority of works are from non-violent offenders, though there is a small area dedicated to serial killer Charles Manson’s art — just for “curiosity’s sake,” said organizer Mark Thivierge, the New York initiative director for nonprofit group Safe Streets Arts Foundation.
The exhibit, which emphasizes the importance of rehabilitation, and complexity of America’s penal system, is the first of its kind in the city, said Thivierge.
The show also has something of a historical connection with Governors Island, which once was the home to a military prison created to lock up Confederate soldiers during the Civil War.
Safe Streets accepts art from prisoners throughout the country, with the belief that the focus and attention placed on art is “very, very therapeutic for prisoners and helps them find a positive way to spend their time, feel engaged — and gives them a skill set they can hopefully pursue.”
Aside from Charles Manson’s pieces, which are not for sale, all the artwork can be purchased, with most priced between $100 to $600.
Prisoners, in general, are not allowed to earn money, so funds collected are either given to a designated family member or a selected nonprofit.
Each work is also displayed with some words from the artist, discussing their inspiration, their reasons for painting, how it has impacted their lives, love for their family, or, in some cases, to give voice to what they view as the injustice of their imprisonment.
One inmate, a talented California prisoner named Tenola Gamble, writes that he takes responsibilities for his actions, but decries the “Three Strike” law that is keeping him in jail for 25 years to life, after stealing several pairs of sunglasses.
“There is no way I can adequately express the injustice I feel,” he writes, “But…I’ve heard ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’.”
The show is also collaborating with Defy Ventures, a nonprofit that helps former inmates as they try to find work and re-acclimate to life outside of prison, to provide staff for the exhibit.
khesan Smalls, 37, a former inmate, who now runs a tour group called Go Harlem, has been working the exhibit since it opened last weekend.
“This has really been an incredible experience for us — it gives us space to interact with people, and be seen for who we are, on a human level,” said Smalls, who served six years in prison on drug charges. “I’m learning to help curate an art show, and I can also give a certain perspective to people who are coming in to see the art — the response we’ve gotten has been really positive.”
Also on display throughout the show, which is curated by Anastasia Voron, the director of exhibitions at Wallplay, is the message of a need for prison reform.
Posters with facts about U.S. incarceration are dispersed among the artwork. One sign reads: “African Americans now constitute nearly 1 million of the total 2.3 million incarcerated population.”
There are also video displays of prisoners discussing their experiences, as well as clips of President Obama and John Oliver speaking about overhauling incarceration policies.
And, noted prisoner turned artist and activist, Anthony Papa has his own room in the exhibit for an installation about what he views as the failed war on drugs, and harsh laws against non-violent drug offenders.
Papa, who was sentenced to 15 years to life for a first-time drug offense, was eventually pardoned, but he initially found a life outside of prison through his art. His portraits have been displayed at the Whitney Museum of Art.
Safe Street’s Thivierge said the ultimate goal is to have a permanent gallery of inmate art, run by former inmates, in New York City.
"Many of these men and women are very talented, and people buy the art because it's good," Thivierge said "And we're here to help encourage what's a very positive, and useful way for those in prison to spend their time."
"Escaping Time: Art From U.S. Prisons," is on view at Governors Island Thursday through Sunday, from Aug. 1 to Sept. 27.
