Art Release is a project born in the last days of the Midnight Special Bookstore in Santa Monica CA. After 35 years, of doing the most exciting and rewarding work, we were closed down by the same economic forces, eating away at everyone’s ability to survive and literally, causing the death of millions of people. One of the last events held at the bookstore came at the request of Jack L. Morris from the SHU. At his suggestion, we hosted an art show and exhibition in April, 2004. 6 SHU artists participated with their work, the families joined in, speakers read poetry and talked about prison conditions. The show was a major success. As the store was closing, we got letters from Pelican Bay asking if we could continue the shows; at the same time, we found out that a long time customer, who had passed away, had left us money to save the store. It was too late for the store, but not for the artists. By August 18, 2007, we will have put on our eighth show, with ten artists, a testimony to the endurance and value of our artists and their families. The project has so far been a success! See the exhibition page for a summary and pictures of each show. Inequality and injustice are dangerous. They corrode our communities and even turn us against each other. Every voice that speaks for humanity and justice, must be supported...especially if it is so completely silenced every minute of every day.