Philadelphia-based artist Russell Craig taught himself to draw & paint while he was serving a sentence in prison.Â
 âI used art to change my whole life. I used it to get out of prison life, to get out of street life, that whole other life that I ledâ.Â
After he returned home he decided to make something creative out of his court documents. The first image is a self-portrait of Craig. He used these documents as his canvas, challenging the notion that a prisoner is just a number. Instead, Craig shows that he is an individual; an identity.
The second image shows another work of Craigâs using a collage style and employs an anagram of the word âRedemptionâ. The piece strives to empower the black community and advocates positive change in the world.
I was lucky enough to witness an exhibition of his work when I visited the Philadelphia Magic Gardens and hear him talk passionately about how art has changed his life. He is now dedicated to raising awareness of social issues, in particular racial inequality and police brutality.
https://discover.submittable.com/blog/department-of-corrections-artist-russell-craig-and-the-right-of-return/
