A Powerful Art Show is on Display for a Short Time

  I am asked to participate in a number of events and frequently say yes without fully understanding what I have gotten myself into. Such was the case when a Facebook friend, Pamela Callender asked me to take part in a panel discussion as part of the "In Your Face" art exhibit presently being displayed at the Hub in Sarasota. But this was not just a show, it was a series of events that has now left an indelible impression upon me.
    Local artist Lori Loveberry George had been inspired to complete a series of drawings and paintings based upon the book "Pictures from a Drawer: Prison and the Art of Portraiture"  by the great American artist/writer/teacher/photographer/filmmaker/recording artist Bruce Jackson. Pamela took a leap of faith and invited Bruce to Sarasota to be part of the show. 
    The first night, February 5th, there was a showing of the film, "Death Row," Bruce and his wife, Diane Christian, had been granted unlimited access to death row in Texas in 1979. Together they produced a book, a series of photographs, and this stark and troubling documentary. A dozen or so prisoners on Death Row told stories about their confinement, their fears and their lives. There is no narration or plot, just the wasted yet essential humanity of each individual clearly revealed. It is unlikely that this type of film could ever be made again. 
   On February 6th was the panel discussion hosted by Sarasota Architectural Salvage.  Lori's large paintings provided the backdrop as we discussed the power of art to capture and change lives, with a special emphasis on prisoners and criminal justice. Bruce told the story of visiting a prison in Arkansas and opening a forgotten drawer to find almost two hundred pictures of inmates taken between 1915 and 1940. After liberating the photos from their confinement, Bruce restored them and printed them large. These forgotten men and women now gaze at us from some distant past as their eyes tell the stories of their lives. 
     Lori further transformed these photos into paintings. While much remains of the original photos, Lori has brought a vision that is both dark and personal to each portrait. There is no doubting the essential humanity of the men and women we look upon, but are we really looking into a mirror that reflects our own flaws and glories? 
    The opening reception was held in a makeshift gallery on the third floor of the HuB, 1680 Fruitville Road in Sarasota. Poet kahlil almustafa held the audience spellbound as he performed his own works and those of prison poet Mikey B.
But the music, the poetry, and the food were merely a prelude to the art. In addition to the photos described above, Bruce Jackson is a great prison photographer. He has been working at his craft since 1962, and published a number of books. At the HuB, you can see his photos adoring the hallways and walls, then turn and see Lori's inspired paintings nearby. 
    Overall, this show feels like an essential bridge to the 21st century. As Bruce noted, the original artists were those prison photographers who captured their subjects for the use of the institution. Bruce restored and resurrected these images and Lori has now brought them to full life with her majestic paintings. Pamela had the vision to put this all together, into perhaps the most powerful artistic experience that I can remember. See this show while you can, because I have a feeling that in the years to come, this will be remembered as a legendary occasion.