by J. Nathan Matias

Ghost Cats

Art installation by Linda Brenner.

"These sculptures represent the colony of cats that took up residence in the prison grounds after the closing of the penitentiary in 1971. It is a testimony to survival." (Installation Description)

This art installation does not exist in any single place. The museum this set of 39 cat sculptures as another way to encourage visitors to explore the prison and keep looking for interesting details.

The "ghosts" of these cats are represented by white castings and were modeled to reflect the physical body type of the animals from the original colony. The thirty-nine sculptures are dispersed throughout the prison where they can be seen on the self-guided tour. (Can you find them all?)

--from the Ghost Cats website

Citations:

Ghost Cats Website

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The Eastern State Penitentiary likes active visitors. Aside from encouraging visitors to get involved in the creative process, they offer grants to artists, encouraging them to work with the prison and related stories as a medium. Many of these art installations further encourage visitors to take a more active part in their penitentiary visit.