Jesse Krimes, Ray Masterson: Art from Prison

Coincidentally two exhibitions caught my eye recently and both have something in common: not only do they involve works of art that were done in prison but they also reflect the ingenuity of an artist working without access to traditional materials.

I just came from seeing Jesse Krimes' amazing work at the Metropolitan Museum in a small show entitled Corrections. Krimes spent six years in a Pennsylvania prison on drug charges and during that time, his art is the only thing that kept him sane. "The one thing they could not take away or control was my ability to create." His work is made from prison issued materials: small bars of soap, bed sheets, hair gel, toothpaste, playing cards and newspaper clipping of mug shots. He innovatively found a way to transfer the mug shot images onto the small soap bars and bed sheets, expressing his feelings about mass incarceration and individuality.

One of the most compelling pieces in the show is a huge wall covered with ten thousand thread wrapped hanging pebbles, sent to him from prisoners across the country. His intent is to serve as a reflection on individuals caught up in the criminal justice system and how dangerous it is to reduce individuals to statistics...

In 2022, Krimes founded the nonprofit Center for Art and Advocacy. The mission is to highlight the talent and creative potential among incarcerated inviduals and to support and improve outcomes for formerly incarcerated artists.

At the Andrew Edlin Gallery in New York City, Ray Masterson created very small embroidered works using threads obtained by unraveling his socks. His work is very small, illustrative and very intricate (the gallery gives out magnifying glasses so you can appreciate the detail).

Produced during the seven years he spent in prison for a crime he committed in the throes of addiction, Masterson began to sew in order to add a personal touch to the uniformity of prison garb. He then branched out to embroider his favorite sports team logos, and subsequently caught the attention of fellow prisoners who commissioned him to make gifts that they could send home to loved ones. In the end, he realized he had his own stories to tell based on his own life experiences...

Bob Dylan: 60 Minutes Interview 2021

Bob Dylan in 1963. courtesy William C. Eckenberg/The New York Times

Bob Dylan was a constant in my life throughout the years--I think his music was a thread that ran through the lives of so many of my generation. Just as the new movie A Complete Unknown is released, I thought I would include this Ed Bradley 60 Minute Interview with Dylan from 2021.

My late husband, Gert Mathiesen, was a big Dylan fan. I'll also include a few of his favorite tunes here, although it is hard to choose...

Forever Young

Not Dark Yet

Is your Love In Vain

Tangled Up In Blue

Knockin On Heaven's Door

All Along The Watchtower

Wylie Dufresne Stretch Pizza

Photo courtesy Stretch Pizza and The Infatuation

Gadi Peleg and Wylie Dufresne, photo courtesy Buck Ennis

Got together with some old friends from Usonia the other day and ended up at Stretch Pizza, one of their local haunts on Park Avenue around 24th Street. It was a great find for me. I knew about Wylie Dufresne from WD50 Restaurant days when he was a pioneer in molecular gastronomy but I hadn't realized he was back at it again after a long hiatus.

Stretch Pizza is Wylie Dufresne's venture into the world of pizza, along with his fellow collaborator, Gadi Peleg (of Breads Bakery fame). Wylie's interest in pizza began for him during the pandemic when he found a brand new pizza oven in the basement of the Connecticut house he was renting and decided to try it out.

This is not your ordinary pizzeria-- in true Wylie Dufresne style, the pizzas are unusual and delicious and his approach is always similiar: like a scientist, he is systematic and innovative as he experiments with many types of unexpected ingredients in very creative ways. You won't find your normal choices here--although they do make a great simple Marguerita one. Many of the pizzas are take offs on sandwiches from local restaurants. The Old Town pizza, named after a sandwich in a local bar, is made up of mushrooms, muenster cheese, garlic cream, and pumpernickel. The one I had, a little more ordinary but no less delicious was called the Stranger, consisting of sweet fennel sausage, roasted peppers and tomato sauce. One that sounds crazy, which I haven't tried yet, is called A-Maize-ing: consisting of corn, cilantro, lime, and cotija. And I should also mention that they have perfected one of the most important ingredients: the crust! which even contains some soy sauce...

Pizza is not the only thing on the menu. The salads are awesome--one of the best caesar salads I have had and one of the other salads has potato chips crunched up inside it. The meatballs are made with ritz crackers. And my friend goes there just for their garlic bread, also a slightly different take on normal fare. Go try it if you are in New York.

Paintings of the Week

Pam Smilow, Tree Series: Spring is Not So Far Off, mixed media on paper, 60” x 22” each

Charity of the Week: American Civil Liberties Union

About The Author

New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow, began writing the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her and her art, visit her website and check out the essay written by Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.