Peter Merts

Peter has been photographing for several decades, specializing in documentary, portrait, and fine art forms. His work has been published in the New York Times, the Washington Post, The Economist, Newsweek Online, the Los Angeles Review of Books, HuffPost, and others.

Peter has been photographing artists in California prisons for 18 years. In 2015, Peter and Dr. Larry Brewster published Paths of Discovery—Art Practice and Its Impact in California State Prisons (second edition.)

In Spring 2022, Peter published a monograph of his photographs as Ex Crucible: The Passion of Incarcerated Artists, with Daylight Books.

Peter’s website is www.petermerts.com, where you will find his archive of 18 years of prison arts images. His Instagram handle is @petermerts.

About 18 years ago I was invited to document art classes at San Quentin State Prison. I was intrigued of course by the incongruity of artistic expression in such a regulated, disruptive, and sometimes violent environment, and I recognized the rarity of the opportunity. I also felt an empathy for incarcerated men and women, many of whom, like I, had experienced childhood trauma. Beyond these factors, it just felt like a good fit—a project about art as a response to disrupted lives.

Begun at San Quentin, this project soon expanded to other California prisons and I have now photographed in all 36 California adult state prisons—many times in some of them. Most classes I visit are part of Arts in Corrections, which is funded by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), and administered by the California Arts Council (CAC).

From the beginning I was surprised by the seriousness with which incarcerated men and women approach their art. I witnessed artist collaborations, peer mentoring, and creative engagement with topics of identity, culture, family, and society. I became impressed with the artists’ drive, and courage—the way they throw themselves wholeheartedly into new experiences and expressions, without regard for embarrassment or shame. The way they open themselves to new insights.

This recognition has led me to my grandest aspiration for this new direction in my work: to illuminate the authenticity and humanity of these incarcerated men and women, and to support their continued growth.

Photos made for this project are shared freely with stakeholders in California’s prison arts program including CDCR, CAC, the teaching artists, and the teaching organizations. My favorite audience however, is the families of the incarcerated artists.