22nd and Fairmount Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19130

215-236-3300

Opening reception for 2008 Artists: May 9 , 5:30 - 7:30 pm

Eastern State Penitentiary hosts a changing series on artist installations as part of the historic site’s exhibits on history and criminal justice. In 2008 there will be ten installations on view during all public hours. Join us for a chance to meet the artists and see the new work! Light refreshments served.

New artists include:
Johanna Inman and Anna Norton: Living Space
A series of five time-lapse videos features the subtle changes in light and weather that occur within the penitentiary complex, revealing aspects of the space that are often neflected or hidden from the naked eye.

Lisa Reddig: Waiting at ESP
The artist has constructed a pinhole camera from an inexpensive cardboard model of Eastern State, and used it to document the cells of Cellblock 11 (May 2008 Only).

Returning artists include:
Linda Brenner: The Ghost Cats
Dayton Castleman: The End of the Tunnel
William Cromar: GTMO
Michael Grothusen: midway of another day
Susan Hagen: Recollection Tableaux
Alexa Hoyer: I Always Wanted to Go to Paris, France
Matthew and Jonathan Stemler: Juxtaposition
Judith Taylor: my glass house

Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, Inc. works to preserve and restore the architecture of Eastern State Penitentiary; to make the Penitentiary accessible to the public; to explain and interpret its complex history; to place current issues of corrections and justice in an historical framework; and to provide a public forum where these issues are discussed. Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, Inc. carries out these activities using the highest standards in educational and public programming, and in conservation.

While the interpretive program advocates no specific position on the state of American prisons, the program is built on the belief that the problems facing Eastern State Penitentiary’s architects have not yet been solved, and that the issues these early prison reformers addressed remain of central importance to our nation. Adopted by the Board of Directors, December 1999