Out of Prison/Making Art
Mallet Gallery
CT State Community College Capital
Hartford
Oct. 30, 2026
There is a definite difference in the kind of art produced by the formerly incarcerated. The biggest difference is the range of materials available and the scope of the work.
That difference is on display in the Community Partners In Action’s Prison Arts' alumni show, titled Out of Prison/Making Art. Hosted by the Mallet Gallery, the exhibit features artwork by formerly incarcerated people who participated in the program.
The use of driftwood in particular feels symbolic, a representation of freedom achieved after incarceration.
Gathering the materials for such an ambitious project is impossible within the walls of a prison. Is the vision as well? Did this project germinate in Killion’s mind while he was incarcerated, or did it find its inspiration once he was released?
Me Spreading My Art Around the World by Mark Despres is another example of work that is different from the other art I’ve observed at the Prison Arts exhibitions. I love the swirls Despres uses to give Earth an impressionistic, hazy appearance, as if he painted the world itself. In this case, Despres has moved far beyond simply spreading the art, but he is creating the space for the art to exist in. It’s a cool concept, and I appreciate his decision to use red and green as the colors of creation as he streaks across the world.
Despres was one of the featured artists in the show, along with James Pinder. Both men were incarcerated for more than 30 years. That’s an unbelievable amount of time. I’ve basically become a prison abolitionist since the pandemic; professional experience covering the criminal justice system has only hardened that position in recent years. But does that position still hold for Despres, who pleaded guilty to a murder-for-hire plot in one of the most sensational cases in the state this century?
Yes, it does. Crimes must be punished, but there has to be a chance for perpetrators to still be part of society. The artwork does not justify or excuse wrongdoing, and I’m certainly not arguing that anyone is owed forgiveness because they have talent. What the art shows is that there are other parts to us. Yes, our mistakes are sometimes so grave that they overshadow everything else. But someday we should be allowed to step out of that shadow– and that day shouldn’t come 30 years later.
The Out of Prison/Making Art exhibition shows that the desire to create for these artists has outlasted their incarceration. Hopefully they are allowed to fully emerge from their shadows.
NEXT
Jamil goes to check out Devil’s Night at the brewery.
