On August 27th from 7-10 p.m., Gallery Four in Baltimore will host the opening of THESE EYES, an exhibition by the late artist, Shane McCallum, curated and organized by 2015 OSI Community Fellow Dave Eassa and his project Free Space.
McCallum spent nearly 40 years in the Maryland prison system, where he turned to artistic expression as a way to cope with life behind bars. After thirty seven years in prison, Shane McCallum was released, only to be diagnosed with terminal cancer a couple months later. This is not only the first solo exhibition of his work, but also a celebration of his life. The exhibition will move from Gallery Four to the Delaware Hospice Center in Millford, DE. The work will be available to raise funds for funeral costs and a donation to the Hospice Center where he spent his remaining days.
Free Space brings visual art, poetry, and other forms of creative expression into prisons. Using a broad approach that includes artistic exercises and investigation into both historical and contemporary art, the program aims to provide participants the tools needed for artistic self-expression and to improve their quality of life behind bars.
Free Space began working weekly at the Maryland Correctional Institution in Jessup in January 2015 and in November 2015 expanded to the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women and Dorsey Run Correctional Facility.
The exhibit runs from August 27 through September 4 at Gallery Four, 405 W. Franklin Street, 4th Floor.
The exhibit also received support from the Gutierrez Memorial Fund and the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts.
