The 25th Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners, a project of the Prison Creative Arts Project at the University of Michigan, showcases the work of incarcerated artists living in Michigan prisons. The work is by men and women from all 28 state prisons in both the upper and the lower peninsulas: 27 men’s prisons and 1 women’s prison. This year there are 828 works in two and three dimensions, including portraits, tattoo imagery, landscapes, fantasy, and wildlife as well as images about incarceration and visions that are entirely new. We invite you to enjoy the work and, if you like, make a purchase. All proceeds, minus necessary taxes and fees, go directly to the artists.

This homepage includes a diverse selection of artwork that represent the breadth of styles and approaches to artmaking represented in the exhibition. You can click the titles below the image for a larger view of each work. 

(1) Arrested Developement, Lawrence Dantzler-Bey; (2) Moon & Owl, Jeffrey Davis; (3) The Pursuit of Happiness, Christopher M. Campos; (4) The Young Old Men at KCF, Oliger Merko; (5) Michigan Leopard, Chad A. Williams; (6) Fresh Out of the Oven, Liam; (7) The Mighty - KAR-no-TAWR-us, Travis Sprouse; (8) Smotherer's Milk, Moses Whitepig; (9) False Narrative, Alvin Smith; (10) When Spring Turns to Fall, Ryan Whitson; (11) The Scientist #3, David McKinney; (12) Outside the Box, J. Blakie

Title Image: 25 and Counting (Self-Portrait), Moses Whitepig