Artist Fulton Leroy Washington, known as Mr. Wash, is establishing the Art By Wash Studio & Community Center, a 13,000-square-foot campus in Compton, California, to serve recently incarcerated individuals and local youth. Released in 2016 after President Barack Obama commuted his life sentence for nonviolent drug offenses, Mr. Wash taught art in prison for 18 years and later gained recognition in the art world, including a breakout appearance at the 2020 Made in L.A. biennial. The center, designed pro bono by Morphosis Architects and The NOW Institute, will offer art-making instruction, studio space, materials, and exhibition opportunities, with the goal of connecting emerging artists to curators and galleries. The project is currently fundraising $100,000 for its first phase, with completion targeted for 2028.
This initiative matters because it addresses critical gaps in reentry support for formerly incarcerated individuals and arts access in underserved communities like Compton, where few community art spaces exist. Mr. Wash’s personal journey—from wrongful conviction to celebrated artist—underscores the transformative power of art programs, which he argues are often used as mere pacifiers in prisons without providing pathways to careers on the outside. By leveraging his own art-world connections, he aims to build a sustainable bridge between prison-taught talent and professional opportunities, challenging systemic barriers and offering a model for community-based arts infrastructure that prioritizes equity and reintegration.