Our Mission is to support and exhibit art by incarcerated individuals to promote dialogue on ways to: Prevent Crime, Reduce levels of incarceration. and Find effective, humane ways to improve the criminal justice system.

HELP START THE CONVERSATION

DONATE

DANIEL GWYNN Exonerated on FEBRUARY 28, 2024

Daniel Gwynn was exonerated and ordered to be released on February 24, 2024 by Judge McDermott after a hearing where the Commonwealth and Defense Team recommended that charges against him be dismissed.


ADA David Napiorski and Mr. Gwynn’s attorneys, Karl Schwartz, and Gretchen Engel, agreed that a staggering amount of evidence, which would have benefited Daniel’s case, had been withheld by the Prosecution from the Defense. Police files also revealed that Daniel’s photo was not included in the initial photo array of suspects. The evidence showed that most likely another man had committed the crime.


Daniel Gwynn endured decades on death row in PA, most of that time in solitary confinement, for a crime he did not commit. He documented his experience and declared his innocence in his art. Daniel’s art is his call to the world from the abyss of death row to tell his story, his plight, and his persistent journey to obtain justice despite an avalanche of obstacles.


Daniel Gwynn was released from Phoenix SCI shortly after 5pm. Shown in this photo with Daniel are his attorneys, Karl Schwartz, Gretchen Engel, and Joe Moreno (a previous attorney)


Read - Philadelphia Inquirer Exoneration Article

INTRODUCING OUR NEWEST ARTIST

 DENARD GALLOWAY


Denard Galloway contacted Art for Justice to share his experience of injustice in Pennsylvania's criminal justice system. As he fights for justice while sentenced to life without parole for a crime he says he did not commit, Mr. Galloway creates art to sustain his spirit and keep his hope alive.


Denard wrote, “I have been in prison in PA for 25 years - wrongly convicted of a murder I did not commit. Just imagine my being an innocent man, spending 9,000 days in prison and losing 90% of my family while confined.”


Read more...


INTRODUCING

DENARD GALLOWAY


Denard Galloway contacted Art for Justice to share his experience of injustice in Pennsylvania's criminal justice system. As he fights for justice while sentenced to life without parole for a crime he says he did not commit, Mr. Galloway creates art to sustain his spirit and keep his hope alive.


Denard wrote, “I have been in prison in PA for 25 years - wrongly convicted of a murder I did not commit. Just imagine my being an innocent man, spending 9,000 days in prison and losing 90% of my family while confined.”


Read more...

Eduard Ramirez Exonerated on November 30, 2023

Eddie Ramirez endured 27 years of incarceration in PA for a crime he did not commit. There was no physical evidence that connected Eddie to the crime. The DNA found at the scene of the crime was not Eddie’s. Eddie’s constitutional rights were violated because the Prosecution withheld from the Defense multiple pieces of evidence which would have benefited Eddie’s case.


Eddie steadfastly fought against the injustice he was experiencing. With the support of his family and friends who stood by him throughout his struggle during the past 27 years, Eddie Ramirez has won the freedom that was stolen from him in 1996.


The Court vacated Eddie’s sentence and the Philadelphia D.A. declined to retry the case. Eddie is exonerated.


EDDIE'S STORY

Eddie Ramirez endured 27 years of incarceration in PA for a crime he did not commit. There was no physical evidence that connected Eddie to the crime. The DNA found at the scene of the crime was not Eddie’s. Eddie’s constitutional rights were violated because the Prosecution withheld from the Defense multiple pieces of evidence which would have benefited Eddie’s case.

Eddie steadfastly fought against the injustice he was experiencing. With the support of his family and friends who stood by him throughout his struggle during the past 27 years, Eddie Ramirez has won the freedom that was stolen from him in 1996.

The Court vacated Eddie’s sentence and the Philadelphia D.A. declined to retry the case. Eddie is exonerated.

PAINTINGS ON EXHIBIT AT GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

Faces of Resilience

 https://www.masonexhibitions.org/exhibitions/faces-of-resilience 


Three paintings by Charles Lawson, namely "Life Interrupted", "Life in PA", and "Life in Suspension", were loaned by Art for Justice to be showcased in the exhibition titled "Faces of Resilience" at George Mason University from September 11 to November 3, 2023. The exhibition was curated by William Perthes, the Director of Adult Education at the Barnes Foundation, and was made possible through the collaboration between Mural Arts Philadelphia and the Barnes Foundation.

Alienation by Daniel Gwynn

RECENT EXHIBITS

Art for Justice Presentation At Arcadia University

The Art for Justice (AfJ) Presentation, Art Display, and Interactive Experience were held at Arcadia University on November 14, 2023. Professor Kevin Review extended an invitation to AfJ to showcase art created by individuals who have faced injustice, aiming to spark discussions about these injustices and the ongoing efforts to rectify them. The event was primarily organized for Professor Review's class, "Wrongful Convictions and Exonerations," as well as other students at Arcadia.


Muti Ajamu-Osagboro was chosen as the speaker for the event. Muti shared his personal experience of being sentenced to life imprisonment as a child and enduring 42 years of incarceration for a crime he claims he did not commit. AfJ also presented artworks by Chrles Lawson (Zafir), Daniel Gwynn, Eduard Ramirez, Rene Ortiz, and George Lopez.

Portraits of Philadelphia

Works by Charles Zafir Lawson

Co-Founder of Art for Justice


Charles Zafir Lawson, serving life without parole at Phoenix SCI in PA, is a self – taught artist. Mr. Lawson began to paint as a way to save his sanity and to call out the injustice and oppression in the criminal justice system. Charles Lawson’s thought provoking, inspirational art has been exhibited by AfJ at over 100 venues and events. Many of the murals in Philadelphia created by the Mural Arts Program were painted by individuals incarcerated at Graterford Prison – Charles Lawson’s portraiture is seen in the faces in some of these murals. Mr. Lawson is also to Co-Creator of the Road Map for Life Workshops for Youth.

Read more ...

Share by: