Orlando Smith aka "O. Smith"
Graphic Novels, Comic Books, Protest Posters, Illustrative Journalism
Type:
Artwork Detail: Monument to a Valley, Jeffery Isom, 2022
Visual Arts for Liberation supports talented and committed inside artists interested in becoming professionals by using their talent to reach outside prison walls, find a steady stream of income for their work, and create greater value for inside artists so they can live off their creative practice. Additionally, our exhibitions aim to build public support for doing better than incarcerating symptoms of injustice.
We are building a defined cohort of talented artists who are incarcerated in facilities around the country. For some artists, support will look like an invitation to send us artwork. For others, it will mean connecting them with opportunities to be hired as an illustrator, using their art to support the work of incarcerated journalists who don’t have access to cameras. We are also actively writing exhibition proposals and supporting other art projects led from inside.We work with artists individually to define the support they need.
Empowerment Avenue artists also have access to program support, including funding for supplies like stamps, books and art materials, as well as art magazines and other media about the art world. Empowerment Avenue will work to connect artists to galleries, museums, organizations and other individuals that seek to work with incarcerated artists, while we in turn support these organizations to meaningfully collaborate across prison walls.
**We do not have an open application process into the program as we recruit artists into the cohort.
