EMPOWERMENT AVENUE
Using art, writing, journalism & film
Using
art,
writing
& journalism
-pre-entry-
to empower
people
in prisons
-pre-entry- to empower people in prison
Op-Ed: In prison, the work of journalism is challenging but
essential
My Pen Uncovers the Real Me
HOW PRISON WRITERS
STRUGGLE TO BE HEARD
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CHECK OUT OUR CURRENT EVENTSIcon Rounded Arrow White - BRIX Templates

OUR MISSION

Our mission is to normalize the inclusion of incarcerated writers and artists in mainstream venues by bridging the gap between them and harnessing this creative proximity as a path to de-carceration and public safety.

To achieve our mission we have a twofold strategy. We support the most talented writers and artists in prisons across the country, providing them the resources they need to get their creative work outside prison walls, be fairly compensated, and contribute their creativity to the movements of abolition, de-carceration, and liberation of incarcerated people.

Secondly, we support capacity building for publications, galleries, museums and other organizations committed to this work, to help them meaningfully center currently-incarcerated people in creative spaces while fairly compensating them.

Artwork Detail: 2042, Lamavis Comundoiwilla, 2020

OUR GOALS

01
Get the voices of incarcerated people past the choir and into mainstream venues to build more public support for ending the Prison Industrial Complex.
02
Help incarcerated people access paid opportunities in the creative economy, build creative and professional relationships, gain relevant knowledge and skills, and collaborate with communities beyond bars.
03
Support outside institutions and individuals in hiring incarcerated individuals to do creative work, especially in fields and projects related to mass incarceration.
04
Support work (like investigative journalism or socially-justice centered art) in order to hold systems accountable.
05
Prepare writers and artists “pre-entry” by supporting their professional goals while still incarcerated.
06
Provide grants for incarcerated creatives to curate events and spearhead initiatives and programming inside their prisons.
07
Break cycles of poverty and intergenerational incarceration.

Current Events

CURRENT EVENTS

PAINTING OURSELVES INTO SOCIETY

SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2024 — JANUARY 12TH, 2025

CURATED BY ORLANDO SMITH & RAHSAAN THOMAS

Empowerment Avenue and Berkeley Art Center co-present Painting Ourselves into Society. This exhibition is co-curated by Orlando Smith aka “O. Smith” from inside San Quentin Prison and Rahsaan “New York” Thomas, who has returned to society after 22 years inside. It features the works of eight currently and formerly incarcerated artists nationwide exploring what it means for incarcerated people to stay connected to the larger community and to challenge the idea of what healing looks like together.

ARTISTS ON VIEW
Alvin Smith
Cedar Annenkovna
Corey Devon Arthur
De’jon Joy
Jared Owens
Jessie Milo
Joanna Nixon
Mark A Cádiz
Dashboard mockup
Alvin Smith, Outside The Rusting Decay Of Confinement, 2024

Upcoming Events

PRESS
KALW Interview with Rahsaan Thomas

We are thrilled to share that our very own Rahsaan Thomas was recently featured on KALW’s “State of Bay.” In this insightful interview, Rahsaan discusses his inspiring journey and the impactful art created by the incarcerated community. Tune in to hear his powerful story and learn more about our mission to empower artists behind bars.
Listen to the full interview here

UPCOMING EVENTS

The Only Door I Can Open

Presented by Empowerment Avenue & YBCA
Opening February 1, 2025

CURATED BY Tomiekia Johnson and Chantell-Jeannette Black

Curated from within prison, The Only Door I Can Open: Women Exposing Prison through Art explores truths about women and incarceration. For this immersive multimedia exhibition, co-curators Tomiekia Johnson and Chantell-Jeannette Black asked eight currently and formerly incarcerated artists to reflect on their relationship to their bed. For some it’s a place of safety and privacy, for others isolation and angst. Spanning murals, paintings, audio narratives, and an immersive prison room installation, the artworks and stories are varied—no two alike.

If I Give You My Sorrows

Flyaway Productions presented by YBCA
January 31 – February 2, 2025

In conjunction, YBCA will present If I Give You My Sorrows: Women Exposing Prison through Dance, which investigates these same themes through an elegant and imaginative apparatus-based dance performance. Dancers float, fly, and spin on two suspended beds engineered to hold the isolation and dreaming that women in prison live through.

Both the exhibition and dance performance share the same inspiration: a poem by co-curator Tomiekia Johnson, in which she describes her bed as ‘the only door I can open.’ In addition to Johnson, the performance also features the voices of Betty McKay and Lisa Strawn, both formerly incarcerated women.
Tickets are available now.

Upcoming Events

Join Us
Step inside these profoundly moving pieces and explore unique perspectives on women in prison, privacy, and creative expression.
Lead image: artwork by Anna Ruiz, Institution #2, 2024. Courtesy the artist. The Only Door I Can Open logo designed by Paul T. Plale.
PRESS
Making Contact with Lucy Kang | Art from the Inside: Why We Need More Art By And About Incarcerated Women
Discover how art highlights the struggles of incarcerated women and builds solidarity across prison walls. This episode features the dance performance If I Give You My Sorrows and the art exhibition The Only Door I Can Open, created by artists inside Central California Women’s Facility.

Tune in to hear from Jo Kreiter, Betty McKay, Tomiekia Johnson, Chantell-Jeannette Black, and Rahsaan Thomas as they share stories of resilience and creativity.

Listen to the full podcast episode here

Our Community

Empowerment Avenue Artist Orlando "O Smith" Smith, San Quentin State Prison. Photo by Peter Merts.
Empowerment Avenue Artist Mark "Stan-Bey" Stanley-Bey , San Quentin State Prison. Photo by Peter Merts.

To stay up to date with our latest projects and see the incredible work we support from writers and artists inside prisons:

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