Reception — Henry Frank: J-80928: A Human Experience Exhibition

Reception
* Sunday, September 20, 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Exhibition Dates:
* September 4 – October 2

The San Geronimo Valley Community Center is proud to present featured September artist Henry Frank in the Del Mue Galleries this September. There will be a reception for the artist as part of the International Day of Peace Festival Finale on September 20.

J-80928: A Human Experience Exhibition explores Henry Frank’s transformative journey through nearly three decades of incarceration in the California Department of Corrections. Through deeply personal artwork, the exhibition reflects on trauma, friendship, identity, hope, and personal growth while inviting viewers to recognize the humanity and capacity for change in people who are incarcerated.

ARTISTS STATEMENT
J-80928: A Human Experience Exhibition explores my personal journey serving a 29-year-to-life sentence in the California Department of Corrections as an Indigenous person, an artist, and a human being. I was incarcerated from February 15, 1994, to April 19, 2013, and during much of that time, I lived hour to hour. For the first 14 years, my mantras were: expect the worst and hope for the best, trust no one except myself, and fear is a state of mind. While many experiences were deeply traumatic, there were also moments of humanity, compassion, joy, and empathy that transformed how I saw myself and the world around me.

The last six years of my incarceration became the most transformative period of my life. I began to believe that I would not die in prison. I found hope, discovered the importance of serving others, began to see myself as a serious artist, and gained a deeper understanding of my place in the world. My mantras evolved into: expect the best and be prepared for anything less, trust everyone until they give me a reason not to, and happiness is a choice. During this time, I learned to love and respect myself, to be accountable, to live in the present, to be a true friend, and to serve others with intention and compassion.

This exhibition is an oeuvre dedicated to the experiences, emotional trauma, friendships, and reclamation of identity that shaped me throughout my incarceration. Through this body of work, I hope people can connect with parts of my journey and recognize that I am not so different from them. More importantly, I want to humanize those who are currently incarcerated and raise awareness that people are capable of change. They can become contributing members of their communities. They have families, hobbies, hopes, dreams, and the capacity for growth and transformation.

I have been working toward completing this body of work and plan to have the exhibition finished completely by the end of this year.

This exhibition is partially funded by an Artist Fellowship Grant from the Art for Justice Fund. I am grateful for their support and patience for this exhibition to evolve into its fullest potential.

Human Being

Henry Edward Frank

Yurok and Kashaya Pomo