Help Fund a Prisoner-Led Online Art Show

Liberation Media Northwest is hosting a fundraiser to launch an online "Solidarity Art Show" for prisoners and allies this Fall. The goal of the fundraiser is to provide an avenue for prisoners to sell their incredible art work so that they can earn money for themselves and other prisoners to cover their basic needs.

 

As a volunteer run, grass roots not-for-profit collective, we need your help in raising the start-up costs for this fundraiser event and we hope that you will join us!

Why is this important?

The prison system makes a profit off of keeping people in prison without providing tangible opportunities for prisoners to make and save money for their basic needs or re-entry plans. Yet, prisoners must pay for all forms of communication (phone calls, emails, letters), music, food, and books. Prisoners in Washington State make an average of  $0.70 - $2.70 per hour in wages. In-state phone calls cost about $2.50 a call (for 20 minutes each) whereas out-of-state calls can cost at least $4 a call.

 

Prisoners often lose connections with friends and family due to long sentences and quite often have to become financially stable on their own because of lack of community. Without opportunities to make or save money while incarcerated, the re-entry process is made even more difficult because they don't have money to rent a place. Prisoners also have a harder time finding a job because of their criminal record. This is a big factor in why the recidivism rate (the rate at which previously incarcerated people get sent back to prison) is so high.

 

Our goal is to raise funds to support the basic needs of prisoners and assist them with becoming financially independent through providing an avenue to sell their works of art.

 

About the Art Show:

 

The "Solidarity Art Show" will provide a platform for prisoners to showcase their talents, share a bit of who they are as individuals, connect with community, and sell their work for a fair price. This show will also raise funds that will be used to build a general prisoner mutual aid fund that will be distributed through our prisoner mutual aid network.

 

Who will be featured in the online art show?

About 15-25 artists will contribute their art to be sold as prints. Non-prisoner allies will donate their art while prisoner artists will be able to receive money from sales.

 

What will the "Solidarity Art Show" sales be used for?

-Mutual aid ( phone time, books and other educational/legal materials, communication costs, food packages, commissary, etc.)

-Direct compensation to contributing prisoner artists

 

How many pieces of art will be showcased?

We expect to show approximately 75-125 pieces of original artwork from prisoners and prisoner allies. Here are a few that might be featured:

 

What will my donation help fund?

All donations will fund:

-shipping costs for prisoners to mail original art to members of LMNW [about 10-15 artists x $8 per shipment = $80-$120]

-printing costs (sizing of prints: 12" x 18", 19" x 24") [$1000-$1500 for an estimated 300-500 prints ordered - about $3 a print]

-shipping costs for print orders [$3,200 at ~$8/shipment]

-prisoner communications (phone calls and emails for art show coordination) [$500]

-promoting and advertising [$200 - Facebook and Instagram ads for the show]

 

TOTAL NEEDED: $5,520

 

Please check out the video below of a previous prisoner art exhibit called Liberation Arts Project hosted by Alma Mater in Tacoma, Washington. Artist and Co-Founder of Liberation Media NW Lawrence Jenkins talks about his Malcolm X portrait, which will be showcased again for our Solidarity Art Show.

 

 

 

 

Curious to Learn More About Liberation Media?

 

What is Liberation Media Northwest?

Liberation Media Northwest (LMNW) is an online multimedia platform founded by prisoners, for prisoners and prisoner allies. We are a network of individuals and groups both inside and outside of prison walls - centering and uplifting voices of prisoners first. We are currently in the foundational stages of our organizing and working on launching our website that will provide a platform for prisoner expression through written word, lectures, podcasts, art and other media. The website will also provide educational resources and mutual aid, and organize around affecting legislative change that has real and tangible impact on the lives of prisoners and those most impacted by the prison-industrial complex.

 

If you are interested in getting involved, submitting art for the show, or joining our collective please reach out to us.

 

We appreciate any amount you can contribute. We hope to reach our goal of $5,520 by September 30, 2021. We look forward to collectively providing a great Solidarity Art Show for you, and we hope to see you there!

 

Many thanks,

 

Liberation Media Northwest