Prison Art Gallery / Street Exhibit at Farragut North Subway Station

Founded by Dennis and Carolyn Sobin the Prison Art Gallery, located at 1600 K Street, NW, Suite 501 opened its doors last October.

In 1991, Sobin was arrested in Florida for filming naked children frolicking at a nudist resort. Sobin claimed the footage was for use in a documentary; a court viewed his work as pornography and gave the combative defendant over five years in state prison. Now free, Sobin is gathering other incarcerated artists in his stand against the Man.

Sobin, 63, is the director of the Prisons Foundation, which was officially incorporated after his January 2003 release from the Federal Correctional Institution in Petersburg, Va., where he was serving an additional five years for bankruptcy fraud-related charges. “The foundation,” he says, “promotes the arts and education in prison and alternatives to incarceration”—which includes publishing resource guides for inmates and inmates’ families, hosting events to increase public awareness about prisoner issues such as mandatory sentencing minimums, and responding to letters from prisoners.

The Prisons Gallery of Art, which opened in early October, is the foundation’s latest project.

In addition to its leased gallery space at 1600 K Street, Suite 501, the Prison Art Gallery also operates a Prison Art Gallery / Street (Outdoor) Exhibit at the Farragut North WMATA Subway Station exit at the corner of Connecticut Avenue and K Street in downtown WDC.

Hours for the main gallery at 1600 K Street, Suite 501, are Monday through Friday 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM and Saturday and Sunday 12:30 - 5:30 PM.

The Prison Art Gallery / Street (Outdoor) Exhibit, at the corner of Connecticut Avenue and K Street operate from 11 am until 6 pm, Monday through Friday.

For more information visit the website at http://www.prisonsfoundation.org/ or telephone 202-393-1511.

Click photo to view my now ongoing Prison Art Gallery / Street Exhibit and Golden Triangle Street Vendors photo sets.