More than 50 works of art by California's San Quentin inmates will be on exhibit at the Mall at Northgate through December. Many of the pieces are for sale at prices ranging from $20 to $4,000. They include paintings, etchings, beadwork and collages.
The display is at MarinLink, a nonprofit that serves as a link between not-for-profit groups, businesses, and health, education and arts groups. The works are varied in subject matter and skill level but the teachers who work with the artists say the common thread is providing a voice for the inmates.
"It's not like any other place in the prison," said Patrick Maloney, referring to the art room. "It's like a sanctuary."
Maloney, a painter and sculptor who has taught at the prison for 17 years, said inmates appreciate the quietness of the art studio and the opportunity to focus on their work.