Prison Portrait Project: Faces of Despair, Hope and Transformation

Harper's work consists of hand sewn large format quilt portraits and hand embroidered batik portraits of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. These are all people whom the artist has or had a relationship with, most residing within a Pennsylvania State Correctional Facility. Many have been imprisoned for decades, and many for a crime they did not commit or took no active part in. The portraits are an attempt to show the humanity of those whom the world has forgotten. They are a call to action against an unjust system, and for redemption and second chances. Each portrait is accompanied with a short statement written by the person portrayed.