Jesse Krimes is an artist and a prison ex-inmate and much more. In 2008, soon after graduating with a BA in studio art from Millersville University, Krimes was incarcerated for cocaine possession. He was 23 years old, wouldn’t snitch on any of his contacts and was given a life sentence in retaliation. Eventually, his sentence was shortened and he spent six years in a prison for violent offenders. Kept in a cell for 23 hours a day, his freedom and identity were striped from him.

To hold onto a sense of self and keep his sanity, Krimes made art. His first works were portraits on shards of soap which he smuggled out of prison hidden in decks of playing cards. His second work was a mural of a mythical landscape: Apokaluptein:16389067. The mural was made on 39 stolen prison bed sheets with hair gel and newspaper images. The bed sheets were manufactured by prison inmates who work for $ .23 an hour. The work not only defied and criticized the prison system, it was a commentary on our society that promotes criminal behavior and punishes people with little thought of reform.

Artist Jesse Krimes will speak about his prison experiences Monday, Feb. 5 in the 4th floor programming room at 6 p.m. The talk is titled Creative Expression as Resistance. His exhibit, Apokaluptein:16389067, is on view in the Julio Fine Arts Gallery Feb. 1-28. Krimes will also talk about his art in the gallery on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 5-7 p.m.