About Larry Brewster Books
Peter Merts has been photographing inmate-artists and their works in various California prisons since 2002. His photographs humanize the otherwise forgotten and vilified convicts who desperately want to learn new ways of expressing their emotions and imaginations as artists. Peter's photographs of inmate art show the remarkable talent that is behind bars and in many cases tell the story of discovery and redemption. Peter is a fine art and documentary photographer who has exhibited, published, and lectured in the United States and abroad. Larry Brewster is professor of public administration and former dean at the University of San Francisco. Larry consults in areas of public policy and organizational development, and is author of several books and articles. He first evaluated California Arts-in-Corrections in 1983, when he conducted a cost-benefit analysis. More recently, Larry completed interviews with formerly incarcerated men and women who had participated in the program during their incarceration to learn of their experience in the program, how it affected them while inside, and how it has impacted their lives as free men and women. The voices of the inmate-artists who participated in the four programs documented in Paths of Discovery are heard through their letters, poetry, and testimony-just as their art and creativity are revealed in Peter's photographs.
