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Empowerment Avenue

Commissions

Art made inside,commissioned at fair rates

Empowerment Avenue (EA) pioneers opportunities for artists currently incarcerated to design and create art for all facets of the art industry—we advocate for inclusivity and fair rate fees. Our commission work emphasizes community-building underscoring our commitment to involving individuals inside prisons in the creative process. By empowering them to contribute their unique perspectives, we challenge societal barriers and amplify the value of their artistic contributions.

For both commission work and image licensing, EA serves as the intermediary. We connect with artists who align with project needs, support the production process, and facilitate payment to the artists. Join us in fostering collaboration and solidarity, strengthening the impact of your campaigns while promoting a more inclusive society.

Contact us to collaborate

Commissions

03 projects
Installation view — Return to Sender: Prison as Censorship, curated by Mariame Kaba, EFA Project Space, New York, 2023.
2023

Return to Sender: Prison as Censorship

PEN America and Mariame Kaba commissioned Empowerment Avenue artists in two ways as part of the exhibition Return to Sender: Prison as Censorship, curated by Mariame Kaba, at EFA Project Space in 2023.

PEN America asked seven EA artists to create portraits of a censored incarcerated writer. The portraits were included in a display about each writer. A few of the portraits were delivered to the prison mail room but never arrived. Instead, the artist’s statement and bio were displayed.

Mariame Kaba commissioned Corey Devon Arthur to create several paintings, one of which was used as the poster and promotional image for the exhibition.

View the exhibition

Participating EA artists

  • Corey Devon Arthur
  • Mark Cádiz aka Rev. Seishin
  • Elizabeth Lozano
  • Jeffrey Isom
  • Sarah Montoya
  • Mark Stanley-Bey
  • Lamavis Comundoiwilla
  • Jose Díaz

EA role

  • Served as direct contact to artists for the censored writer portrait component, working in collaboration with PEN America.
  • Coordinated all artwork, payment info, artist statements, bios and exhibition text for the censored writer portrait component, working in collaboration with PEN America.
Work Assignments: Contemporary Systems of Oppression, an art pop-up installation presented at the Bayview Urban Arts Festival, hosted by California Lawyers for the Arts at El Campanil Theatre in Antioch, California.
2023 & 2024

Urban Arts Festival

Work Assignments: Forced Prison Labor in the Land of the Free

Empowerment Avenue (EA) in partnership with California Lawyers of the Arts asked artists currently incarcerated nationwide to create artwork specifically tied to their experiences, and those around them, with involuntary servitude. The project’s goal was to expose the legacy of slavery and the ongoing slave tactics by prison institutions on Black & Brown communities in three California neighborhoods — Bayview, Antioch, and East Palo Alto.

The events sparked conversations and action by increasing awareness and voter participation to end involuntary servitude—ACA8/Prop 6 on the November 2024 ballot.

Participating EA artists

  • Alvin Smith
  • Mark Cádiz aka Rev. Seishin
  • Corey Devon Arthur
  • Orlando Smith aka O. Smith
  • Elizabeth Lozano
  • Jeffrey Isom
  • Christopher “Khalifah” Christensen
  • Chantell-Jeannette Black

EA role

  • Directed the creative vision of the art installation, ensuring that the artwork was aligned with the theme of ending involuntary servitude.
  • Offered comprehensive logistical support for artists inside prisons, including assistance with mailing, coordination, and discussion of themes in preparation for art submissions.
  • Served as the intermediary for processing all payments to incarcerated EA artists.
  • Designed and installed the art installation.
  • Engaged with the community and provided information about each artist during the event.
Digital billboard — artwork by Orlando Smith aka O. Smith. “When under threat, you don’t have much choice but to work for 16 cents an hour.” Voice from Solano State Prison.
2023 / 2024

End Involuntary Servitude Digital Media Campaign

LSPC digital billboards projected on the California State Capitol

In collaboration with Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC), All of Us or None, and Tré Borden /Co, the Empowerment Avenue (EA) team created transformative digital billboards aimed at addressing the issue of involuntary servitude and prison slavery in the California prison system. The project’s goal was to amplify the voices and experiences of those impacted by these injustices through compelling digital materials.

EA artists were asked to create images reflecting their perspectives and experiences with this issue. LSPC selected quotes from individuals incarcerated in prisons throughout California. EA Assistant Director De’jon Joy integrated the artwork and quotes, designing four digital billboards. The final billboards were projected onto the California State Capitol building in Sacramento as part of LSPC’s digital media campaign building awareness for ACA8/Prop 6, February 12th – November 3rd 2024.

Participating EA artists

  • Orlando Smith aka O. Smith
  • Elizabeth Lozano
  • Jeffrey Isom

EA role

  • Engaged both incarcerated individuals and community members to create impactful content for the billboard designs.
  • Facilitated the collaborative process between LSPC and inside artists through three phases of design, from sketches to completion of final design.
  • Designed four digital billboards, incorporating EA artists’ artwork, quotes from inside and LSPC branding to the format requested by the client.
  • Served as the intermediary for processing all payments to incarcerated EA artists.
  • Worked closely with the communications teams from LSPC and All of Us or None to integrate artwork and narratives into broader advocacy campaigns.
Campaign video — “Prison slavery prevents rehabilitation,” produced with LSPC, All of Us or None and Tré Borden /Co for the ACA8/Prop 6 campaign.
Prison Slavery Harms Families, a video from Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC), features organizers and incarcerated people discussing the impact of involuntary servitude in California prisons on individuals and their families.

Image licensing

Cover of the 2023–2024 Annual Report from the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law at NYU School of Law, featuring Alvin Smith’s Classified, a painting depicting a neighborhood scene with Black families, children, an ice cream truck, and a man sitting on the curb.
Cover of the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law’s 2023–2024 Annual Report, featuring Classified (2021) by artist Alvin Smith.

The Center on Race, Inequality & The Law, NYU School of Law

Since 2023

Since 2023, Empowerment Avenue (EA) has facilitated several image usage agreements with The Center. EA artists’ work has been featured on the covers of two annual reports and a collaborative report with Scrutinize. Additionally, the annual reports include artwork on inside spreads throughout.

Download

Artwork by Alvin Smith, Lamavis Comundoiwilla

Screenshot of a Zócalo Public Square essay titled “What It’s Like to Experience the U.S. Election From Prison,” featuring Alvin Smith’s painting Outside the Rusting Decay of Confinement (2024).
Zócalo Public Square features Phillip Vance Smith II’s essay, “What It’s Like to Experience the U.S. Election From Prison,” alongside Alvin Smith’s painting Outside the Rusting Decay of Confinement (2024).

Zócalo Public Square

2023 & 2024

The media site Zócalo Public Square commissioned EA artist Alvin Smith to create an editorial image for the essay What Prison Don’t Want Us to Read during banned book week, 2023.

In 2024, EA facilitated an image use agreement for Alvin Smith’s painting “Outside the Rusting Decay of Confinement” for an essay written by EA writer Phillip Vance Smith II, What It’s Like to Experience the U.S. Election From Prison.

Read the essays

Artwork by Alvin Smith

Prison Journalism Project

Prison Journalism Project

2024

Creating timely images is a strength of several EA artists. Alvin Smith’s “Outside the Rusting Decay of Confinement” sparked the interest of many. PJP also used this image for their reporting on the 2024 election in Locked Out: Democracy Behind Bars.

Locked Out: Democracy Behind Bars

Artwork by Alvin Smith

Work with us

Interested in commissioning EA artists?

We handle the introductions, the production timeline inside, and the payments—so your team can focus on the work. Tell us about your project and we’ll connect you with the right artists.

hello@empowermentave.org

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