Adam Young is a watercolor artist with some experience in graphite as well. He just completed a sentence in the Federal Prison System, where he found his love for art and creativity. He has the drive to keep painting as often as possible.

Born, raised, educated, and graduated from Chicago’s South Side, author and artist Bednago Harper developed a spark of interest in the creative arts during his elementary years. His flicker of interest erupted into a raging fire somewhere around the time he reached high school, and the fire has burned throughout the years, leaving in its wake a definitive creative output distinctly reflective of this man’s artistic legacy. 

Through Bednago’s brush, you will find real surrealism artwork that pays deserving respect to Classic Rock, Country, Jazz, and Old School R&B artists past and present. Portraits are his speciality. 

Bednago has published several books. All of his writings are drawn from true-life experiences, which he hopes will be utilized as identifiable vessels of learning and growth to readers on all levels, and all walks of life. Above all, he hopes his books are interpreted as reflections of the Black Experience in Urban America as opposed to the traditional urban novel. 

Visit Bednago’s FB page here. His books can be found here.

“My art is the voice of an innocent man. It reflects my refusal to surrender to my situation and circumstances… Through my art, I find freedom.”

– Billie Allen

Artist Billie Allen was unjustly imprisoned for a crime he did not commit and has spent the last 28 years of his life in prison, on Federal Death Row. “Within the confines of a tiny 6’x8’ cell where I spend 23 hours a day, art has the power to set me free!” says Billie Allen.

Billie Allen refuses to wither, stay silent, or to live in the shadows while innocent. With hundreds of completed artworks, Billie Allen remains a relevant and important member of society and the art world, receiving contemporary awards, articles, and exhibitions.

The key to Billie Allen’s mental and physical survival is the daily practice of creating paintings, drawings, collage, mixed-media and interactive installation pieces with outside artists in exhibition spaces.

Billie Allen’s artwork masterfully engages the viewer with his personal story of innocence, injustice, systems of power and corruption,  contemporary superheroes, and the use of historic events and Afro-futurism.

Showing nationally and internationally, Allen’s skilled hand, unbridled spirit, and provocative compositions have proven to break down walls and connect humanity. Innocent of the charges, Allen’s artwork and process are his tools for liberation, restoration, and resilience.

"Regardless of what I’m painting, I really hope the viewer is left with some sort of impact. Be it a prison themed work or free world subject. I attempt to make you see it a little differently, maybe even better than the original. My favorite styles of work are both impressionism and pop art. Where I love the style of more impressionist art, I find the subject matter boring at times. The pop art genre I like because of the identifiable items, with the simplifying in technique, be it silks screens or brand name objects, and just the plain audacity of the genre. My favorite artist is Edward Hopper, not only because of the use of acrylic, but because of the light and dark play in most of his work, with the illusion of detail also in play."

Brian is a contributing artist and writer with the Prison Journalism Project, helps to lead a gardening program, teaches introductory painting classes, and has contributed artwork to numerous exhibitions and publications. 

“My name is Carla J. Simmons and I am serving my 20th year of a life sentence in the state of Georgia. I come from a long line of self-taught artists and from a young age connected with art as an extension of my voice and a method of survival. Through it I am able to contribute to our culture and share my experience as a person whose life, and family, have been forever altered, and damaged, by the carceral system.”

I was born in 1960 in Orleans, France to American parents. I returned to grow up in the Western United States where I developed an abiding appreciation for the natural world. I have five children and three grandchildren. Prior to having children, I worked in clay and some bronze. Upon my first child’s arrival, my studio needed to be safe, so I switched to fiber work. By the time my youngest two were 14 and 9, I had added welding, glass work, and plastic fabrication/sculpture to the mix. From 1991-2006 I worked full time, producing sculptures for exhibits and fairs. I also taught workshops in soft sculpture, surface design, and regularly spoke to university programs.

In July of 2006 life was irrevocably altered by an event of extreme domestic violence that culminated in my use of deadly force to preserve my own life and the lives of my children. Without resources for legal representation, I accepted a plea bargain and began a 15 year sentence for manslaughter. Housed at the Utah State Prison, I focused on maintaining my family connection through drawings, and eventually explored crochet as a means to create sculptural forms. Creating art in prison is fraught with angst. You must have written permission, in contract form, before starting any sort of craft project. Despite adherence to policy, SWAT can sweep through at any time and destroy or discard your artwork. I, personally, experienced this multiple times prior to being transported in 2014 to county jail for housing. While jail is considerably more restrictive than prison in many respects, my experience with staff being supportive of creative endeavors has been largely positive. I have been able to participate in the Hogle Zoo exhibit yearly, as well as a variety of charity events and other exhibits. While widely known for my large, somewhat whimsical, wildlife sculptures, I have also developed a body of work that reflects the experiences of women dealing with domestic violence and the legal system. These works have been invited to international conferences and exhibits on prison reform in California, Maryland, and Helsinki, Finland.
Having experienced being a battered woman, in a rural setting, with no services available, my hope is to utilize my full size Fish House studio to travel through similar areas and provide a network of information and assistance. Without a larger dialog to address support, and more scrutiny on how laws are enforced, women in rural areas will continue to be left to negotiate their existence daily. The status quo is unacceptable. I will continue to use my network to bring focus on this underserved population.

Support Carole’s Desert Shelter + Healing Art Project at gofundme.com/f/desert-fish-house, and follow her on Instagram @carole.alden.94.

Cedar Annenkovna is a citizen of planet Earth with roots indigenous to it. She was born by the sea amid political turmoil and revolution. Her mind and soul have been an instrument to art in some shape or form manifest throughout many lifetimes. From the beginning she has produced artistic creations utilizing whatever mediums she could access from stone sculpture to linen coffee paintings. Later while attending Brooklyn International Academy in NY she made an impact with her art in many different circles. She expanded her technique to trains, buildings, backdrops for theater, art shows, and other social gatherings. She also learned to airbrush graphics on her friends’ lowriders. After graduating she studied abroad, earning a degree in biology and later culinary ethics and nutritional supplementation. Through study these also became forms of artistic expression added to her repertoire. Cedar’s mission, as human and artist, is to develop deeper understanding, joie de vivre, and compassion as time transgresses. Cedar’s case was recently overturned by the Colorado Supreme Court on the grounds of wrongful conviction. After 6 years in prison she is now free to pursue her dreams and aspirations.

Her artwork and poetry have been featured in exhibitions and publications nationwide and internationally including: Marking Time: Art in the Era of Mass Incarceration curated by Nicole Fleetwood, multiple venues from MoMA PS1, New York, to Toronto, Canada (2019-2024); Ending The Exception [To the 13th Amendment], Philly Mural Arts Project, Peoples Plaza Philadelphia (2023); The President Portrait Project, Lincoln’s Cottage Museum, Washington, D.C. (2024); 1st place poetry and art in Picture a Free World Art Show, Concept Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA (2023 and summer 2024) with a cover design feature in Let’s Get Free and Daughters Magazine; Play It Louder—Abolitionist Sanctuary & Solitary Gardens: Amplifying Carceral Realities and Abolition Futures, Public Promotions and Cover Design, New Orleans, (2023); Painting Ourselves Into Society, Berkeley Art Center, (September 21st 2024 – January 12th, 2025).

Humbly, I am an artist, poet, activist, abolitionist, lover of freedom, the earth and all of creation. My identity supersedes diminishment to a number within the Colorado Department of Corrections. Wherever life appoints me, may I be receptive to opportunity; for others and myself to always be a light and stand in solidarity with those caught up in struggle. May we remain compassionate and human despite circumstances that may pressure us to become otherwise.

I work to embody through visual representation those ideas that may raise awareness and initiate change in the System for the Greater Good for creation and the earth we all share and call our home.

Please follow Cedar on IG at @annenkovna and contribute to her GoFundMe here. Cedar can be reached at cedarannenkovna@gmail.com and is available for commissions, speaking engagements, and advocacy efforts. 

Chad is an artist from Mesa, AZ, whose main mediums are painting and writing, with particular attention to ink painting and poetry. 

“I have seen and exercised the darkest part of my nature, I've revealed and encouraged the demons of others. I know the thrill and taste of blood and have learned that the world only owns one thing worthy of fear - the darkness of self. 

Whichever direction you go - into the dark or into the light - you must master yourself. We who have the capacity to delve the darkest depths mirror that capacity in our ability to pursue the lofty throne of greatness. Because of this, darkness which leads one to hunger for the light, is the greatest of pursuits. This is my journey, I continue to climb from the realm of self-despise, and through the medium of my art, seek a liberation that only a very few can know - in the absence of pitch black darkness, light owns no meaning. 

I am the epitome of killing one's self to live where agony and bliss show themselves to be identical in the intersections of existence. That is where my art comes from and it's why tortured souls like Cobain, Cornell, Doc, X, - are most often the medium of my expression. One paints what he knows and if I know anything, I know self-torture and despise. I paint to liberate myself, to know I can create beauty as well as despair.”

Chad is featured in an online exhibition and blog post through Bader + Simon Gallery.

See more of Chad’s artwork here and follow him on IG @chadmerrillart.

JustArts Gallery is honored to partner with Tulsa's Circle Cinema for a month-long exhibition featuring works created by nearly 30 artists confined to carceral institutions across the U.S..

“Emotions are the universal language.

My art reaches into the human soul, where the deepest emotions reside. I aim to evoke strong responses in my viewers and provide them with a vessel in which they can sit with their feelings.

To achieve this, I first search my own bank of traumas and experiences. Each piece I create is an extension of my soul. I pour my life, mind, heart, and emotions onto the canvas, allowing the composition, color choice, and subject matter to reveal my worldview and tell my story.

I gravitate toward a hyper realistic style to bring a sense of relatability and understanding to my work. This style also aligns with my detailed nature and personality. What first captures the eye is the realization that my work closely resembles photographs. I hope that this initial emotional experience opens the door to further exploration of wonder and curiosity.

In a world of indifference and a constant striving for individuality, people can forget that we are all bound together. Although some may be forgotten, everyone still has the same inherent worth. I invite viewers to engage with my work, seeking similarities between us. I offer an opportunity to connect with all others through our shared experience of human emotions.”

Cuong (Mike) Tran (b. 1980) is a first-generation Vietnamese-American. His parents immigrated to the U.S. in 1975 after their homeland was devastated by war. At age five, unable to afford store-bought toys, Mike began crafting his own action figures from paper and cardboard. Mike found that entering into an imaginary world was a way to escape his abusive environment. It was not until Covid that he began a serious self study in painting. Mike’s art has been instrumental in his healing process. It has allowed him to open to extraordinary levels of self-honesty, transcend dystopia and make reparations.

Mike currently resides in a “gated community” called “California Men’s Colony State Prison.” Despite severe restrictions, Mike’s artistry demonstrates proficiency as well as the resilience of the human spirit. Working in a 3’ x 11’ cell, he often transforms discarded, overlooked and inexpensive art materials into expressions (both paintings and 3 dimensional forms) with great proficiency. “By using materials often seen as ‘inferior,’ I am reclaiming my dignity,”

In addition to being an artist, Mike is a nationally certified Substance Abuse Counselor.

Mike’s work is featured in an online exhibition at Bader + Simon, and he was interviewed for their podcast, B+S With Friends. 

IG @crucible118

Mike welcomes letters and is eager to connect with other artists! He can be reached via the GTL GettingOut app or by snail mail:
Cuong (Mike) Tran A-L3711
CMC East Facility, Cell 3307
PO Box 8103
San Luis Obispo, CA, 93409-8101

Follow Douglas on IG @douglasearlsart and visit his website to see more of his work. 

Drawing Parallels, our first exhibition featuring collaborative works, brings together local artists and artists who are incarcerated. The artwork in the show was created in dialogue between pairs of artists — an exchange of ideas, perspectives, and shared humanity across physical and social barriers. By pairing “inside” and local artists, Drawing Parallels highlights the connections that emerge through art, revealing shared experiences, challenges, and hopes. This exhibition invites viewers to witness how creativity bridges divides and opens space for empathy, understanding, and individual and collective healing.

Gary Farlow holds a Juris Doctorate from Thomas Jefferson College of Law at Heed University. He completed undergraduate studies at Western Illinois University. He is a two time winner of the PEN America Writing Award for Prison Writers, in 2002 and 2018. His previous works include, “Prison-ese: A Survivor’s Guide to Prison Slang,” “The Cellblock Gourmet: Inmate Recipes from the Big House to Your House,” “Doin’ Time: How to Survive and Thrive in Prison,” and “Fragments of a Dream: The Poetry of Gary Farlow.”

Mr. Farlow’s art has been exhibited in Washington, DC and Silver Spring, MD, at Cornell University in the Durland Library, and the Open Sky Gallery in San Francisco.

Drawing inspiration from impressionist landscape artist Claude Monet, and the realism of artist Edward Hopper, Farlow focuses on urbanscapes, highlighting architecture and cities. A life-long artist, Farlow’s medium is colored pencil, and he studies under artists Arthur Rogers and Christopher Reid. 

I always appreciated art and especially painting, but never attempted to create anything, myself. Just a few years ago I rapidly became blind, and perhaps bizarrely, as a challenge and a way of getting through the nightmare of the loss of one's vision, I started to paint. At the heart of the darkness enveloping me, when I couldn't recognize people anymore or even what I was eating, I was inspired by friends, and by the visual and emotional memory of two of my favorite films; "Good Will Hunting" and "A Room With A View," the content of which resonated with my own life experiences in different ways. Recently I regained most of my vision, through expert surgical intervention, which was obviously life-changing after being legally blind for some time. I wanted to share with you a few examples of my work. Do bear in mind that I never had an art lesson and am entirely self-taught. Art truly saved me and I continue to learn, grow, and hopefully evolve. I would like to work with the visually impaired someday. 

The best way to contact me is by messaging: 

1) Go online to Securustech.net 

2) Sign up for "Exchange Messages." Sometimes it may take a day or two for registration, so please be 

patient and persevere. This is our best way to communicate. 

3) On the website enter my ID number, which is 321687 

4) Then, you have to send the first message. Once you do that, we are all set. 

Or, write me a snail mail letter at: 

James Boyd 321687 

c/o Corrigan C. I. 

986 Norwich-New London Turnpike Uncasville, CT 06382 

Jerry Metcalf is a self-taught artist, activist, and writer who has been warehoused in Michigan prisons for the past 30 years. In 1995, he committed a horrible act of gun violence for which he is truly and deeply sorry. He is now a pacifist who has devoted his life to making the world a better, more-inclusive place where the Arts shine and happiness matters.

If you wish to read some of his writing (fiction, poetry, essays, articles), view or purchase his art, buy one of his books, or listen to his

podcast, you may do so by visiting him at Facebook.com/jerryametcalf.jr or X@JerryMetcalfJr1 or

Instagram.com/jerryametcalf_artist.writer or Jamartgallery.etsy.com or YouTube C

hannel: XV3 The Red Zone, Live From the Plantation podcast.

Artist statement

“Having been incarcerated at such a young age, my first several years in this concrete and razor-wire jungle were tough. I spent most of my time fending off predators trying to rape me, gangs trying to recruit me, and an alcohol addiction attempting to kill me.

I eventually found solace in the arts.

I started off scribbling poems on scrap pieces of paper. Then, during a year-long stint in solitary confinement where I almost died due to smoke inhalation when another convict burned himself alive, I discovered my love of writing fiction. It kept me sane. A few years later,

I stumbled across one of The Marshall

Project's flyers seeking nonfiction submissions and gave it a whirl. And of course, I fell in love with writing nonfiction as well.

My journey wasn't done there, though. One day, while fuming over some stupid bullshit, an artist friend of mine suggested I take my anger out on a piece of canvas. It sounded ridiculous, but, always on the hunt for methods of improvement,

I gave it a whirl.

And holy fuck was he right! Art changed my life. Instead of expressing anger through violence,

I now express it through abstract art by flinging and smashing paint against canvas. When sad, I lift myself up through the process of creating something beautiful, something special, something from deep within. And when feeling unloved and homesick, I drag wet paint around the canvas with my fingers as I daydream of a better life. A life where it hasn’t been decades since I've felt the brush of a woman's lips against my own,

or breathed air untainted by the stench of captivity, or gazed upon a star-filled night sky,

or eaten healthy, unprocessed food, or, well... you get the point.

Soon though. I'm now on the downslope. My time in this cage is coming to an end.

My name is Jerry Metcalf and I wish to make the world a better place. If you do too, please join me on social media simply because together we are stronger. And remember, I love you, and so does the Goddess Celeste, Mother to all things physical. Including you, my lovely friend.

Born in 1981, Jesse’s artistic journey began at the age of 12, when drawing became a sanctuary and a way to navigate a complex world. Now at 44, his work reflects a life deeply impacted by hardship and resilience, demonstrating how creativity can bloom even in the face of adversity.

Through compelling abstractions, Jesse’s art invites viewers to witness his unique perspective and the transformative power of the human spirit. His past experiences have shaped his vision, turning challenges into sources of creative strength and reflection.

His journey, which has included periods of incarceration, has infused his work with a powerful narrative of introspection, perseverance, and the ongoing quest for redemption. His work is a testament to the enduring nature of his artistic passion and his commitment to using his experiences to create meaningful and impactful art.

Juan Hernandez was born and raised in Chicago. His artwork has been exhibited at Angelica Kaufman Gallery, Art in Odd Places, and The Design Museum of Chicago, amongst others. His writing has appeared in publications such as Prison Journalism Project and Teen Vogue, and he has received support from The Pu’a Foundation and the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures.

WBEZ Chicago recently published a story about Juan. Read it here. 

Follow Juan on IG @jch_convictedart and visit his website at jchconvictedart.com to see more of his art.

Juan can be contact using Corrlinks messaging and via snail mail:

Juan Hernandez K84686
Dixon Correctional Center
2600 N Brinton Ave
Dixon, IL 61021

JustArts' inaugural group exhibition brings together the work of 18 artists, each creating in their own unique style, medium, and perspective. While their approaches and experiences vary, their work reveals powerful threads of connection—shared struggles, perseverance, and the universal human drive to create. Through this collection, we invite you to not only witness the individuality of each artist but also reflect on the ways we are all linked through art, expression, and the desire to be seen and heard. 
March - July 2025

My journey into leather craft began after spending 31 years in solitary confinement. Ironically, it was when I was told I could no longer possess traditional art supplies in prison that I discovered a new artistic outlet: designing leather goods.

Though I was denied brushes, paint, and canvas, I still had access to paper and pencil. I used them to sketch my ideas—backpacks, totes, shoulder bags, clutch purses, and travel pouches. I watched from afar as leather makers worked, learning how simple tools—mallets, punches, needles—could shape raw material into something meaningful.

That curiosity turned into vision. I began carefully designing my own pieces, which others brought to life by hand. The moment I saw my first custom-designed backpack realized, I felt something I hadn’t experienced before—even after years of painting, sculpting, and building. I felt connected to the material. Leather became not just a medium, but a message.

From solitary confinement to the world outside, this collection is a continuation of my art—wearable, functional, and deeply personal.

Each custom design in the Kenneth Reams Collection is crafted from high-quality leather and reflects artistic craftsmanship, thoughtful detailing, and distinctive character. Every finished piece speaks for itself through its careful design and unique story.

View more of Kenneth's artwork here.