Major Amy Elkins Acquired by the Newcomb Museum / Tulane University

I am thrilled to share that the following pieces by artist AMY ELKINS have been acquired by the Newcomb Museum. These works will continue to be on display as part of the group exhibition Per(Sister): Incarcerated Women in Louisiana through July 6th!  While it is hard to see in these small images, each portrait was constructed meticulously out of hundreds (if not thousands) of catalog images of prison uniforms.  If you are in New Orleans make sure to go check it out to see it in person.

Per(Sister): Incarcerated Women in Louisiana
January 19th, 2019 – July 6th, 2019
Newcomb Museum
Tulane University
New Orleans, Louisiana

Curated by Monica Ramirez-Montagut and Laura Blereau
In partnership with Syrita Steib-Martin and Dolfinette Martin

Works by Kira Akerman, Ron Bechet, Allison Beondé, Lee Deigaard, Lynn Drury, Keith Duncan, Amy Elkins, The Graduates, Glenn Ford, Butch Frosch, L. Kasimu Harris, Cherice Harrison-Nelson, Ana Hernandez, Maria Hinds, Epaul Julien, MaPó Kinnord, Kimberly Rivers Roberts (Queen Koldmadina), Henrietta Mantooth, Tammy Mercure, Anastasia Pelias, Shelia Phipp, Sarah Quintana, Rontherin Ratliff, Devin Reynolds, Jackie Sumell, Nubian Sun, Taslim van Hattum, Carl Joe Williams, Ryn Wilson.

Until last year Louisiana was known as the “Incarceration Capital of the World.” With the exception of Oklahoma, our state tops every other state in its incarceration rate and even outpaces many other nations, with about one in 75 adults in prison or jail at any given moment in Louisiana.  Per the Sentencing Project, the number of incarcerated women in the United States increased more than 700 percent between 1980 and 2014. According to the ACLU  only 18 percent of our female inmates have committed violent crimes and, today, about 80 percent of female inmates are mothers, 86 percent are survivors of sexual violence (according to a report by the Vera Institute of Justice).

Newcomb Art Museum has partnered with formerly incarcerated women, community organizations, stakeholders, and those directly impacted by the prison system to create the exhibition Per(Sister), which is intended to share the stories of currently and formerly incarcerated women in Louisiana, and shine a light on the myriad issues as identified and expressed by the women themselves.

Read more about the exhibition here.

#amyelkins #markmoorefineart