NEWS

February 18, 2010
Show opens with reception Saturday

Once again, art aficionados will get a glimpse of the creative souls imprisoned behind the walls of the Iowa State Penitentiary.

The second annual "incarcerated" feature exhibition will grace the walls of the Fort Madison Area Arts Association beginning with a reception from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday.

The art show, which is sponsored by the Fort Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau, will serve time at the FMAAA gallery, 825 Avenue G, through the end of the month. More than 20 works of art created by offenders will be on display during the gallery's regular hours 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Inmates have chosen a variety of mediums to express themselves, including paintings, drawings and woodworking. The subject matter they address ranges from sports and patriotism to portraiture and American Indian themes.

Also on display will be handwritten journals and logbooks from the prison's early days in the late 1800s and 1900s.

A scale model of the original circa 1845 territorial prison will help people get a visual feel for the history of the prison.

The North Lee County Historical Society has lent a few items to augment the display, including pictographs featuring work done in the furniture, textile and shoe industries during the 1950s when Percy Lainson served as warden.’

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