Artepano

Artepano: Chicano Prisoner Kerchief Art features fifty artworks by Latinx artists working in the context of the American penal system. A pano is a standard fifteen by fifteen-inch cotton handkerchief transformed into a work of art by prisoners that alternatively self-identify as Chicano, Mexican-American, Latino, and/or Hispanic. The artists also self-identify alternately as inmate. The Artepano: Chicano Prisoner Kerchief Art exhibition presents a thorough sampling of the distinctive styles found in pano art. The majority of works come from the private collection of Mr. Leplat-Torti, who has one of the largest collections of pano art in the world. Additionally works of art come from the collection of the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico and the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, Utah State University.

The Artepano: Chicano Prisoner Kerchief Art exhibition will be accompanied by a catalog with illustrations of every pano featured in the exhibition with annotations by curator Dr. Alvaro Ibarra. The publication will also feature an essay by renowned scholar Ben V. Olguin. Dr. Olguin's essay explores the complex social and economic factors surrounding the development of the artepano tradition. Additionally, the catalog will include an interview with Mr. Leplat-Torti concerning his journey as a pano collector and as an advocate for prison rehabilitation programs and prisoner rights.