| PLEXUS
is a group of Bay Area artists who use fiber and other materials
to create art that addresses contemporary social issues. Their current
exhibition in the East Gallery, 1 in 100: America Behind Bars,
is their response to the alarming statistic that 1 percent of the
American population is currently incarcerated and that most inmates
eventually return to a society that shuns them. PLEXUS members became
motivated to create works of art meant to encourage people to stop
and think about why this might be so and how it affects not only
those who are in prison, but also their children, spouses, and communities,
and society in general. The artists visited San Quentin Prison in
their quest to understand the import of these numbers in human terms,
and this exhibition presents the creative works that resulted, including
a collaborative piece featuring block prints by San Quentin inmates
and letters written by children of inmates.
1 in 100: America
Behind Bars explores and illuminates the emotional and social
impacts of incarceration. Roni Mentzer lays it out plainly in her
piece titled Anguish. The prisoner’s absence from life
is portrayed with sensitivity in Julie Garner’s Missing,
raising the question of reentry after imprisonment. Diana Shore’s
thoughtful piece, Freedom of Thought? suggests a process
of slow, steady development auguring well for the prospect of rehabilitation
and reacceptance into society. This exhibit will inspire viewers
to ask themselves what they can do to reduce the rate of incarceration,
to support families of prisoners so that destructive patterns are
not perpetuated, and to foster successful reintegration of prisoners
after release. The artists believe that it is in everyone's best
interest that the ex-prisoner’s life after prison is meaningful,
healthy, and crime-free. Read more about this group at www.plexusartgroup.com.
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