BE PART OF THE CREATIVE COMMUNITY AT 555

555 Nonprofit Gallery and Studios is a volunteer artist run organization providing affordable studios and workspace, gallery space, exhibition programs, arts education programs, and an Artist in Residency.

“Books Are Made of Ideas, and Ideas are Meant to Circulate in the World”

PRISON BOOK PROJECT

The objective of the Prison Book Project is to place books into prisons. An offshoot of PCAP,The Prison Creative Arts Project, based at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. PCAP was founded 17 years ago by Buzz Alexander, and now holds workshops in more than 20 prisons and juvenile facilities, facilitates community partnerships with juveniles and formerly incarcerated artists and holds an annual exhibition of art by Michigan prisoners, among other projects. The Prison Book Project moves books through existing channels and connections with the Michigan Department of Corrections. Although the project is still in its working-out-the-kinks phase, we have placed hundreds of books (including personal collections) into prisons and have amassed a great deal in donations.

Potential plans for the future include a community library at the 555’s permanent space. The long term goal for this project is to amass enough of a collection where prisons and incarcerated citizens would be able to request books or types of books and we could oblige. It would ideal to provide for the community at the same time.

Drew Philip is the director of the Prison Book Project and has facilitated poetry and theatre workshops in Prisons and Juvenile facilities for the last three years through The Prison Creative Arts Project. If you would like to contact Drew or donate books to the project email, drewphilp@gmail.com.