Sean Mattison is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker, photographer, and visual artist. His pursuit of his craft has led to collaborations with some of the world's leading companies and organizations. In addition to his artistic and commercial work, he is committed to creating projects that advance awareness.
Prison has a lot of politics. Art was a neutral zone.
Sentenced to life in prison for a minor drug offence, Fulton Leroy Washington turned to painting as a means of expressing himself during his 21 years behind bars. Then, thanks to Barack Obama, he was free. This is his story.
"These are the stories that I traded my life for, day by day." - Mr. Wash
Despite the nightmare of his two decades in federal custody – accused of a non-violent drug crime, assured of his innocence and sentenced to die in prison under draconian drugs laws – Wash’s creative skill is the film’s impelling peculiarity. His circumstances are ordinary, his talent is not.
The politics of prison are behind him, but the politics of life as a professional artist are a new hurdle. “I’d love to meet other artists and find out what’s going on out here,” he says. “I’m learning a lot about art politics on a day-to-day basis. This is all new to me.”
