May 6, 2019Buy Art and Free Jailed Mamas on Mother’s DayTHE FIGHT against mass incarceration takes many forms: from protesting outside prisons, to blocking jail construction, to journalism that reaches inside, to hearing prisoners’ voices, to making oneself aware of gross abuses, to viewing the most gruesome pictures, to letter writing, to education and more. …Prison Reform3 min readPrison Reform3 min read
Apr 23, 2019‘The Depository Of Unwanted Photographs’ gets a second lookAn archived archive gets dusted off for a group show about vernacular photo collections — In the summer of 2013, I attempted to temporarily get out of my prison-photo-bubble and find out what people loved about photographs by asking them which of theirs they loved the least. Which did they wish to condemn to the trash-bin of history? For two long weekends at Photoville, a…Photography6 min readPhotography6 min read
Apr 9, 2019Member-onlyUnpacking the Media’s Obsession With Prisoner-FirefightersRecently, major magazines — and photographers — have portrayed them as redemption in action. Are we seeing the full picture? — In boots, overalls, and gloves, they traipse along forested trails. They carry picks, chainsaws, hose lines, and water canisters. Their goggles, pushed back on their helmets, reflect the tree canopy above. Below, they move through the dust, smoke, and shafts of golden-hour light. The firefighters in Brian Frank’s images are…Prison Reform9 min readPrison Reform9 min read
Apr 8, 2019Share and CareTaking on the stigma of mental health issues, one playlist at a time — SOME YEARS AGO, my hometown community back in Britain was hit hard by the suicide of a friend. He was a musician on the rise and his loss was felt across the isles. Out of the tragedy came a resolve to speak openly about mental health struggles. …Music6 min readMusic6 min read
Apr 3, 2019Talk about Teaching at San Quentin PrisonIf you’re in San Francisco, consider joining us April 10th — For the latest Creative Mean convening, I will be talking on the theme of Relationships. I’ll be talking about my teaching and learning in the classroom at San Quentin. I’ll reflect on how the ideas about photographs that my students and I hold have shifted and shaped. There’s no scoop…Prison1 min readPrison1 min read
Apr 2, 2019Photography Exhibition “Reframes” Recovery from Drug AbuseImages foreground not life’s dark moments but on the light and comparative lightness former users create for themselves. — The War On Drugs has lasted more than 45 years and cost over $1 trillion dollars. Everyone from Rolling Stone to the Cato Institute to the Obama White House has concluded it a failure. The root of the failure is this: A nation cannot incarcerate, punish and brutalize people out…Drugs5 min readDrugs5 min read
Published in Vantage·Mar 2, 2019An Interview with Jeff AdachiOn the week anniversary of the death of SF Public Defender Office’s Chief Attorney, we revisit a 2015 conversation with Adachi about images, equity and justice — Jeff Adachi (1959–2019) was a public servant for over 30 years. From 2002 until his unexpected death on February 22nd, Adachi served as the head of the San Francisco Public Defenders Office. San Francisco is the only county in California that has an elected Public Defender. Adachi won re-election five…Jeff Adachi12 min readJeff Adachi12 min read
Sep 25, 2018Member-onlyThese Photos of Prepper Bags Hold a Mirror to SocietySome preppers are hyper-vigilant while others are more altruistic. The common factor is fear. — “There is no such thing as paranoia. Your worst fears can come true at any moment.” — Hunter S. Thompson Not content with merely imagining disaster, preppers lurch toward it. They play out fearful futures, buying survival goods and stockpiling basements with supplies. They have bought in — spiritually, financially…Politics9 min readPolitics9 min read
Apr 2, 2018Member-onlyFigureless Portraits that Speak to the Invisible Struggles of LGBTQ PrisonersArtist Lorenzo Triburgo on how to see absence, photography’s capacity to harm, and the queer voices leading the U.S. prison abolition movement — Originally published by Prison Photography I’ve stated it before but not often or forcefully enough: The LGBTQ community nurtures many of the most effective and motivating voices in the fight for prison abolition. LGBTQ people are frequently subject to the harshest and most dehumanizing treatment at the hands of the…Criminal Justice Reform20 min readCriminal Justice Reform20 min read
Mar 11, 2018Member-onlyAfter Decades in Prison, Women Pose for Portraits in their Bedrooms“When you see this photo I took of you, what does it make you think?” — Working as a public defender, Sara Bennett has met a great many women who have faced struggle and hardship. Many serve, or have served, long sentences. Since 1980, the number of incarcerated women has increased by 800% in the U.S. There are nearly 100,000 women in state prisons and federal…Criminal Justice Reform10 min readCriminal Justice Reform10 min read
