PRISON ART HOLIDAY CARDS FEATURE THE WORK OF PRISON INMATES

The holidays as a time of caring and compassion take on new meaning this year with the introduction of prison art Holiday cards featuring the work of prison inmate artists.

Four colorful cards, printed and distributed by the Prisons Foundation, spotlight the work of incarcerated artists Michael Jewell and Todd Mitchell.

CLICK ON IMAGES FOR DETAILS & ORDERING

The prison art Holiday cards are sold in packs of eight for $12 per pack. These large cards (5 ½ by 8 inches) with matching envelopes consist of one (1) pack with one (1) of the four (4) designs you can choose from.

The backs of the cards have short profiles of the inmates who created them. The inside of the cards is blank.

To order, send check or money order for $12 per pack, plus $5 per order shipping and handling (only one $5 charge applies regardless of number of packs ordered) to:

Prisons Foundation, 1718 M Street NW, #151, Washington, DC 20036.

Or use PayPal to order these cards by Clicking on the images above.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Michael Jewell, 58, has been in prison for 33 years. Currently residing in Powledge Unit State Prison, Palestine, Texas, he paints acrylic abstracts. Formerly on death row, Jewell is now serving a life sentence. "I paint to nourish my emotions, just as I eat to nourish my body," he says."When I was on death row everything was ...dingy grey and olive drab. Even our windows were painted over to deny the sun. We were allowed to purchase water based paints...[and] I craved the presence of color."

Todd Mitchell Leavitt, 40, born in Las Vegas, Nevada, is currently imprisoned in High Point State Prison, Indian Springs, Nevada. His series of water color tempera paintings feature angels, snowmen, and other seasonal themes. He describes what they mean to him as follows: “That some of our best memories come from doing some of the simple things in nature when we are all alone and no one is watching or judging us.” Says Prisons Foundation president Helen Thorne, herself an ex-prisoner, “With a record number of more than two million men and women in U.S. prisons, these cards are a beautiful reminder that they possess talent and worth and should not be forgotten. Especially around the holidays, but also throughout the year, our hearts must remain open to them. We should do this not only for humanitarian reasons but because 95% will return home someday to be our neighbors.”

Prisons Foundation, 1718 M Street NW, #151, Washington, DC 20036.