A poster project creates an opportunity for artists leaving incarceration.
Amanda Page
When Aimee Wissman was released from prison, she wanted to build a life as a visual artist but didn’t know where to start. “I had no jumping-off point,” she says.
She began volunteering with the Ohio Prison Arts Connection, which exists “at the intersection of the arts and the justice system,” says Jessie Glover, lead facilitator for OPAC, a coalition that pushes for arts access for people in prison and after their release.
Reentry from prison poses a host of problems, and resources can be scarce. Finding suitable housing, transportation and a job that pays a living wage can be overwhelming tasks. Making art can provide solace and possibly a career, if “returning artists a term advocates often use in place of “formerly incarcerated,” which carries stigma find the means, mentorship and money to make and sell their creations.