Inmates earn money through artwork with help of Art for Redemption

DENVER (July, 2021) — Art for Redemption will unveil an interactive mural featuring a collage of art from incarcerated artists created during the COVID-19 lockdown. The collage will be placed into the form of Lady Liberty superimposed on an outline of the United States that is behind bars. The mural also will incorporate an augmented reality interactive piece hosted by an app that allows the mural to be further enhanced with messaging around mass incarceration. The unveiling will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 5 at 3722 Chestnut Place in Denver’s River North Art District, which is known for hosting the largest annual street art and mural festival in Colorado. The mural will be displayed for six to eight months. The event also launches Art for Redemption’s crowdfunding campaign to create a coffee-table book of about 100 works by incarcerated artists. The goal is to raise $25,000 — the cost to publish the book. If Adams doesn’t reach that goal, the number of artists participating in the project will be scaled back. Art for Redemption also will create an online marketplace for inmates to display and sell their work. Adams also is planning a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace. NFTs are collectible digital assets that hold their value in the form of cryptocurrency. Artists split the proceeds of the sales of their work with Art for Redemption. “They’ll be able to make royalties if their artwork is printed on a T-shirt, phone case or mouse pad,” Adams said. Read the full article...