Mark Loughney’s Portraits of Change

From 2012 to 2022, Mark Loughney spent ten years in Pennsylvania state prison. Those incarcerated often use their time behind bars to begin a redemptive journey, but Loughney’s journey led him even farther–to advocacy through art. The Dunmore, Pennsylvania native used what little resources he had to create “Pyrrhic Defeat,” over 800 portraits of imprisoned men vividly depicting mass incarceration and capturing the humanity of those behind bars.

In this feature from our fall 2023 episode, The Temp’s Brianna Hill explores Loughney’s drive to bridge the gap between the confined and the free–and how Philly’s Mural Arts program plans to help.