A very elaborate Ferris wheel with surrounding fair buildings was made of thousands of toothpicks and lots of patience about 1940. A ticket booth and entries to the fair are covered with paper printed like bricks. There are 12 chairs with red cellophane seats on the wheel, and a flat wooden base and border with fence posts. But most amazing is that the chairs swing while the Ferris wheel turns. And it is almost all made from toothpicks.

The construction is covered by a Plexiglas case with a label explaining that the art was made by an Ohio State Prison inmate between 1940 and 1950. It sold at an Ohio auction for $660 at the end of 2015.

There is no information regarding the prisoner other than the suggestion that they have made many works, and they have mentioned he is a "wannabe painter."

Our Question: Why do you think it's important for prisoners to engage in not just art, but other activities/hobbies as well?

Caoimhe, Marina, zendrah,

Facility: Varner Supermax Unit, AR
Sentence:  Death
Time Served:  27 years

• Collection of wrappings

Capitalization by Kenneth Reams calls out the exploitation and profits of one of the significant commercial prison package vendors. " Founded in 1991, Union Supply Group, a privately-owned California-based company that provides low-quality and over-priced commissary goods to state, federal, and county corrections institutions in the United States who take primarily of from low income individuals.

This art work was done by Daniel Wilson who were in Great Meadows Correctional Facility, NY. He served for 2 years where the Sentence was 7 to 8 years.

It shows an art of a faceless man, representing any one and all of them, stands in the darkness of a cell disassociated from reality. One arm hangs outside of his cell with the word “worthless” tattooed on the forearm because outside of the cell, he is worthless to the system; he has no value. The other arm, with the word “commodity” tattooed on the forearm, is inside the cell because there he is a commodity for the system. He holds an envelope addressed to the parole board with his hope to return to society. But, it’s been returned because the parole board won’t evaluate him on who he is now, just his past.