The Injustice Xhibition is a series of six portraits of wrongfully convicted inmates serving time at various facilities in Louisiana. The Artist/Founder Sheila Phipps was inspired by her own son's wrongful conviction and her journey to prove his innocence. She found hope and energy to continue on through her artwork and decided that this could be her way of giving back by helping to exonerate her son and others. Her goal is to build relationships with others in the art world, judicial system and grassroots organizations to establish awareness and inspiration.
Our Mission:
1) To tell the stories of the inmates who are the subject of each portrait
2) To bring awareness of the injustices that exist in the penal system
3) To inspire others in the art world to get involved
4) To promote and encourage others in the community to get involved
5) To raise funds to help provide support for the featured inmates
I have been working as a portrait artist for over 30 years. My eldest son, McKinley Phipps, Jr., is currently serving 30 years in a Louisiana State Prison for a crime he did not commit. In order to help my son and others in the same situation, I created the Injustice Xhibition project. In an effort to raise awareness, I hand painted six portraits of wrongfully accused inmates including my son.
“Injustice Xhibition” is about capturing injustice on canvas. The E in Exhibition was dropped and the X is red to stand for the blood of the innocent people caught in the Louisiana justice system and beyond.
Injustice Xhibition features six portraits of inmates wrongfully accused of crime they did not commit. Three of the featured inmates (including my son) are currently serving time at Hunts Correctional Center in St. Gabriel, LA. Two of the other inmates are serving time at Angola Prison (one is currently on Death Row). The last featured inmate was exonerated after serving 27 1/2 years in prison.
