The association "Art and Prison" originated from an initiative by well-known artists, who supported an exhibition im Rome entitled "Art from Prison” in 2007. The association was officially registered in 2009 in Berlin, the city in which a wall had separated people for decades. Prison walls also separate people but we are convinced that in this situation art can build a bridge of understanding. Members and supporters of the association "Art and Prison" are artists, art lovers, galleries, private sponsors and institutions from presently more than 40 countries and all continents. The association is not aligned with any political party and is not bound to any specific denomination or ideology. This association's charitable, non-profit status is recognized by the German government and donations are therefore tax-deductible. The association desires to make clear that beyond and across national borders, art can make a valuable contribution to humanity and to greater respect for human dignity; a service to the victims of criminality and crime. This is about a new way of integrating people living on the fringe of society, who have no lobby and whose fate often tears families apart. As its central social pilot project, the association supports the building of a rehabilitation center for women who have been repeatedly incarcerated.
