Alcatraz Art Escape – Currently CLOSED

Alcatraz East is currently closed. Please check their site for more details.

One of the popular tourist spots in San Francisco is Alcatraz Island, a former federal penitentiary that was closed in 1963. The notorious nature of the island continues to intrigue visitors of all ages, and likewise, the growing fascination with the artwork of prison artists, spurred the development of a new exhibit at the Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

This new exhibit, Alcatraz Art Escape, features artwork that was inspired by Alcatraz Island, as well as the beautiful artwork created by incarcerated artists throughout the country. The Alcatraz Crime Museum teamed up with P.A.T.H. (Prison Arts Touching Hearts), a program designed to support art rehabilitation programs, to feature prison art pieces focused on the theme surrounding Alcatraz Island’s history and past as a federal penitentiary.

Visitors to the new Alcatraz Art Escape exhibit will also include never before seen Alcatraz artifacts from the museums collection such as handcuffs, a guard’s ID and prisoner roster pamphlet with handwritten notes, Al Capone’s rosary and rare artwork made by an Alcatraz inmate while he was incarcerated.

The Alcatraz East Crime Museum will be featuring this exhibit along with several other new displays throughout the year. Come and enjoy this unique journey into the history of American crime, crime solving and our justice system.