This exhibit is sponsored and created by HOPE (Huskies for Opportunities in Prison Education), a Registered Student Organization at the University of Washington, Seattle campus. Our group is composed of current UW students and faculty. We focus on informing the UW student body about the importance of education in prison through a variety of outreach and collaborative efforts.
This project would not have been possible without the input from many individuals and programs at the Washington State Department of Corrections. We want to thank the staff at the Monroe Correctional Complex, with a special mention of the Community Partnership Program, the Recreation Department, the Mailroom, and the Public Information Office for their support and advice on this project over many months. We also thank the DOC Education Navigator at Edmonds College for help in facilitating this project, and we appreciate the opportunity to consult with the Communications Office at the Washington State DOC Headquarters.
We are also grateful for the essential groundwork for the exhibit provided by Gary Carpenter (UW-Bothell), Chris Gildow (Cascadia College and director of Cascadia’s Mobius Gallery), and Jared Leising and Kathleen Brown (both of Cascadia College). We also thank Artists in Absentia for sharing their experience with us as we worked on the details of this exhibit.
Finally, we offer our profound thanks to the artists for their phenomenal contributions and to the families and friends of the artists who have supported their work in many ways. Their efforts truly made this exhibit possible.