Art and the Death Penalty

Photo Credit: Joan Mitchell Foundation

In an effort to illuminate the gravity of the death penalty issue, Julie Green, an associate professor of art at Oregon State University, has painted a series of 500 plates depicting the final meal requests of U.S. death row inmates. The artist began working on the paintings in the early 2000s and plans to paint around 50 plates each year until the death penalty is abolished.

The series of paintings, which are made with cobalt blue mineral paint, on both found and vintage tableware, reflect a desire for a final moment of comfort before death. Green views the project as a way to humanize the inmates. As she stated in Oregon State University’s Terra magazine, “I grew up in a family of wonderful cooks, and there was a lot of tradition with meals passed down through generations.” The concept of the “final meal,” and what’s behind it, inspired her: “And the idea of a meal whose purpose is not to sustain life, or be shared, but seems to have this other symbolic meaning, just compelled me.”

All 500 plates will be on exhibit between January 8^th and February 16^th at The Arts Center in Corvallis, Oregon.

Related Reading:

• Learn more about the exhibit and the artist
• For more photos of the plates, check out this article