ART

1 in 100: America Behind Bars explores and illuminates the emotional and social impacts of incarceration. Roni Mentzer lays it out plainly in her piece titled Anguish. The prisoner’s absence from life is portrayed with sensitivity in Julie Garner’s Missing, raising the question of reentry after imprisonment. Diana Shore’s thoughtful piece, Freedom of Thought? suggests a process of slow, steady development auguring well for the prospect of rehabilitation and reacceptance into society. This exhibit will inspire viewers to ask themselves what they can do to reduce the rate of incarceration, to support families of prisoners so that destructive patterns are not perpetuated, and to foster successful reintegration of prisoners after release. The artists believe that it is in everyone's best interest that the ex-prisoner’s life after prison is meaningful, healthy, and crime-free.

PLEXUS is a group of Bay Area artists who use fiber and other materials to create art that addresses contemporary social issues. Their current exhibition in the East Gallery, 1 in 100: America Behind Bars, is their response to the alarming statistic that 1 percent of the American population is currently incarcerated and that most inmates eventually return to a society that shuns them. PLEXUS members became motivated to create works of art meant to encourage people to stop and think about why this might be so and how it affects not only those who are in prison, but also their children, spouses, and communities, and society in general. The artists visited San Quentin Prison in their quest to understand the import of these numbers in human terms, and this exhibition presents the creative works that resulted, including a collaborative piece featuring block prints by San Quentin inmates and letters written by children of inmates.