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10 OCTOBER 23, 2003
Unfettered Expression
Prisoners find release through art.
I
n prison, being an artist is a status sym-
bol. In a social structure that creates a
pecking order based on crime commit-
ted and physical stature, an artistic bent, an
imaginative talent, garners re-
spect. Because that’s not usually
the case on the outside, “where
artists are expected to pay their
dues, to starve,” says Ron Chase,
director of Sponsors, a non-profit
that works transitioning ex-of-
fenders back into the community,
that respect is even more
poignant.
On Oct. 24, the exhibit Art
Behind Bars, original artwork
created by inmates and ex-of-
fenders, will open at Maude
Kerns Art Gallery, paying hom-
age to incarcerated women and
men who’ve found an outlet for
imaginative release. A benefit for
Sponsors, the show is more an of-
fering of those who’ve been in the
system, to show there’s an aspect
of spirit and beauty in everyone.
Nearly 30 years ago, Sister
Margaret Graziano, this year
awarded the E.R Cass award —
corrections highest honor — entered the
women’s dorm in Lane County Jail and asked
the women what they needed. They told her,
“Anything to relieve our boredom.”
Art was at the top of her suggestion list,
and the class was eagerly accepted by
Graziano’s students.
“When the men heard about it, they
wanted one, too,” she says. In addition to her
art classes, Graziano created a library, with
furniture donations from St. Vincent’s, books
donated by Smith Family Books and others in
the community, and volunteer librarians. “So
many people in jail are thirsting for knowl-
edge and education,” she says.
But the art classes were her first project.
“People get really isolated in jails and kind of
hopeless and often lie in beds all day and this
is a nice break. Motivation, for one, is a big
thing.”
Graziano saw inmates change during the
classes. “Art is a way of expressing what is
within them,” she says, adding that inmates
will often draw angry animals or angry faces
at first, then, “As they accept the fact they’re
going to be there long term, there’s a greater
peace within their hearts. You see their art
change.” Graziano adds that the release of
emotions often results in art depicting what
they miss: for men: beautiful women, for all:
scenes of nature.
At first, some feel they’re not artists, not
good enough or the art is too hard, says
Graziano. “I let them know that everyone is
an artist and has it in them. In our jail we can
only use one inch-long pencil to do draw-
ings.” In the education dorm, however, other
art supplies are brought in and work can be
done in various media. Graziano adds, “I be-
lieve in art and music and drama and dance
and all those things that lift the spirit. Men
and women in jail are looking for more spiri-
tuality now, too.”
Psychologically, art has a profound im-
pact on the lives of inmates, according to art
therapist Susan St. Pierre, who volunteers
with Graziano. “The benefit of creative art
therapies in general is that they bypass the
The Artist’s Room by Kevin Briggs
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‘I believe in art
and music and
drama and dance
and all those things
that lift the spirit.’
- Sister Margaret Graziano
verbal process. We have a lot of skill there but
also a lot of resistance. We manage that really
well so it’s hard to get through to someone.”
Yet with art, St. Pierre says, “different parts of
the brain become accessed and people get
clarity in certain issues.” Seeing, feeling or
dancing it is a different experience from talk-
ing about it.
Specifically for fine art, St. Pierre will
often set up a still life, so that inmates must
focus on it for long periods of time while they
sketch. This takes their attention off their
problems, she says. After, the group can dis-
cuss the work they’ve done. “Warmth is
being created while they talk about their
work, and they become more connected with
others,” she says, adding, “Maybe they’ll
find a passion in there.”
Ron Chase, who oversees Sponsors, says
the show is not meant merely as a fundraiser,
but “to show people there’s another side to
the ex-offender population.” With a show that
features work in woodcarvings, computer
graphics, paintings, sketches and more,
Chase says, “Hopefully people will look at
these folks as human beings, and with some
encouragement and opportunity, we can cul-
tivate the other side.”
ew
Art Behind Bars opens Oct. 24 with an opening reception
from 4-6 pm, Sunday, Oct. 26 at Maude Kerns. The
reception will feature speakers and artists. The show runs
through Nov. 14.