As the curator for Meet Us Quickly: Painting for Justice from Prison, Thomas got the chance to prove it. Currently on view at the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD), Meet Us Quickly is a digital exhibit and auction featuring work from twelve formerly and currently incarcerated artists at San Quentin prison.
The exhibit was produced in collaboration with MoAD and Prison Renaissance, a non-profit organization co-founded by Thomas. The organization is run by and for currently and formerly incarcerated people. According to co-founder and Chairman Emile DeWeaver, it aims to build art, dance, writing, and other programs that “aren't beholden to prison administrators.”
Thomas recruited the artists through San Quentin’s Arts in Corrections program, and then chose a minimum bid for each piece, ranging from $100 to $1,500.