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Credits: Andrew's work was on display as a one man show at Pebble Hill Church, October 2003.

2.
 

Artist Block

Andrew Wasko
 

Andrew Wasko, Jr. is an inmate at Lehigh County prison, although he is much more than that. An artist, a poet, a musician, a father, a son, a brother, and my longtime friend. He was arrested on July 13, 2002, on homicide charges, and was held without bail for more than 14 months. His trial took place during the week of September 22nd, 2003. On Friday, September 26th, 2003, he was convicted of first degree murder, and in Pennsylvania that carries with it a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility for parole. An appeal will be filed on his behalf as soon as the law permits. All of his drawings and writings (save one) included in this compilation were created during his incarceration. I am hoping that by including some of Andy’s creative work, I will have helped to expand people’s awareness about not only the realities of prison life, but also about the judgments we all tend to make about people, based solely on their circumstances. I thought it would offer a better perspective if along with his poetry and drawings, I included a description of his life there, in his own words, taken right from his letters. As another sense of perspective, I’m also including a painting he completed prior to his arrest Addendum: The only drawing materials he is allowed to have are colored pencils. It has been a source of great frustration to him that he is not allowed paints, canvas, or even decent paper to work with. But the finished work is to me a testament to the tremendous capacity for resourcefulness inherent to the artist in us all. If you would like to write to Mr. Wasko to comment on his work, offer support, or to simply say "Hi," you may do so at: Andy Wasko #FQ4520 SCI Camp Hill PO Box 200 Camp Hill, PA 17001-4531 Any correspondence (and prayer) is greatly appreciated. Neysa Ricciardi - April 10, 2003   Andy with his son Daniel Credits: Andrew's work was on display as a one man show at Pebble Hill Church the entire month of October 2003.