Can you imagine this? Painting blue-on-white ceramic kiln-fired dishwater with images of US prison inmates' final dinner requests? What I can't imagine is that over 21 years, 1,000 plates illuminated "the complex emotional decisions of those facing imminent death, as well as the racial and historic implications of capital punishment in the United States."
This was done by artist Julie Green who died last week at the age of 60.
"Menus provide clues on region, race, and economic background," Green said in the statement. "A family history becomes apparent when (the) Indiana Department of Correction adds, 'He told us he never had a birthday cake so we ordered a birthday cake for him.'"
The last execution in Canada was in 1962. In the US, the death penalty is still legal punishment in 27 states, including the US military. Trump resumed federal executions in 2019 after a 17 year hiatus. The juvenile death penalty in the US was only abolished in 2005.
Wikipedia shows the US execution statistics by year, which means the death penalty has been exercised every year since 1981. Since 1976, 1,516 men have been executed and 17 women.
There seems to be great enthusiasm for the death penalty in the US - the total number of prisoners on Death Row has been exponentially climbing over the decades. It looks like there are over 3,000 people on death row now.
In comparison to Canada, this is catastrophic. What do other countries do? Amnesty International recorded at least 2,307 death sentences in 56 countries in 2019. China is the world's most active country on executions. The number is considered a state secret, but is estimated to be between 400 to 2,400 a year. The top executing countries after China are Iran, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the US.
Julie Green must have been courageous to carry out her project. Her plates can be seen here: The Last Supper - Final Meals of U.S. Death Row Inmates. They are listed by state.
I've been checking through Dahlia pictures, and liked this one.
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