Freedom
Seven students at the Utah State Correctional Facility created a “multi-vocal” artwork for the 2024 Jack T. Litman Symposium on Art in Prison at Harvard University.
Each student in class at the prison painted one tile according to their own visions of freedom, and then attendees at the symposium at Harvard each painted one as well.
The final painting metaphorically bridges the distance between inside and out, the distance between those looking out through the fence from the inside to those looking in.
Incarcerated students unanimously chose to donate this artwork to the Harvard Defenders for their work preventing incarceration.
Each student in class at the prison painted one tile according to their own visions of freedom, and then attendees at the symposium at Harvard each painted one as well.
The final painting metaphorically bridges the distance between inside and out, the distance between those looking out through the fence from the inside to those looking in.
Incarcerated students unanimously chose to donate this artwork to the Harvard Defenders for their work preventing incarceration.
Income Inequality
In the fall of 2024, with a grant from the Salt Lake City Arts Council, I facilitated the creation of this public art piece with eight students at the Utah State Correctional Facility and six youth advocates from the Sugarhouse Boys & Girls Club.
Youth advocates selecting “income inequality” as the artwork’s theme. The Boys & Girls Club primarily serves low-income families; all eight students in the prison had been members of the club when they were young.
I hosted discussions on Matthew Desmond’s Poverty, by America for each group, and conveyed the reactions to the reading from one group to the other. Each of the 14 students then created a drawing that illustrated one aspect of poverty or income inequality, and sharing the drawings from one group to the other became its own form of spirited intergenerational exchange.
To unify all 14 drawings, the two groups chose to add computer glitches between them, since critical conversations on A.I. had been part of our discussions, and since that imagery captured the emotional turbulence these difficult conversations produced.
The final artwork was installed on the side of the Sugarhouse Boys & Girls Club building.
Youth advocates selecting “income inequality” as the artwork’s theme. The Boys & Girls Club primarily serves low-income families; all eight students in the prison had been members of the club when they were young.
I hosted discussions on Matthew Desmond’s Poverty, by America for each group, and conveyed the reactions to the reading from one group to the other. Each of the 14 students then created a drawing that illustrated one aspect of poverty or income inequality, and sharing the drawings from one group to the other became its own form of spirited intergenerational exchange.
To unify all 14 drawings, the two groups chose to add computer glitches between them, since critical conversations on A.I. had been part of our discussions, and since that imagery captured the emotional turbulence these difficult conversations produced.
The final artwork was installed on the side of the Sugarhouse Boys & Girls Club building.
Women's Labor
In a summer art class through Hudson Link and Northeastern University, 17 women at Taconic Correctional Facility decided to make a piece of artwork about women's labor.
A.M. said: "All day, everyday, from sun-up to sunset, women are all things to everyone without credit or a simple thank you. We are money managers, chefs, nurses, maids, babysitters, party organizers, psychiatrists, and more while looking like a supermodel and to end the day with sex. What a day."
S.S. added: "Our image contains pictures representing activities done by household women on a daily basis, such as a broom used for cleaning, a baby bottle for caring and feeding children, and a plate of food representing a woman’s responsibility to prepare and cook meals daily."
And S.P. said: "The first aid kit represents how women tend to minor medical emergencies during daily housework. The stack of books represents women’s continuing education."
I organized a public exhibition of the final drawing at Central Synagogue, and one student who had been released since my class concluded was able to attend the reception.
A.M. said: "All day, everyday, from sun-up to sunset, women are all things to everyone without credit or a simple thank you. We are money managers, chefs, nurses, maids, babysitters, party organizers, psychiatrists, and more while looking like a supermodel and to end the day with sex. What a day."
S.S. added: "Our image contains pictures representing activities done by household women on a daily basis, such as a broom used for cleaning, a baby bottle for caring and feeding children, and a plate of food representing a woman’s responsibility to prepare and cook meals daily."
And S.P. said: "The first aid kit represents how women tend to minor medical emergencies during daily housework. The stack of books represents women’s continuing education."
I organized a public exhibition of the final drawing at Central Synagogue, and one student who had been released since my class concluded was able to attend the reception.
Peace in Chaos
“Our class...participated in hours of brainstorming before ascertaining the subject for this piece of art. Our brainstorming sessions were full of creativity and emotion; Each session was a truly fruitful and exciting moment...By using a process of elimination...we were able to choose a subject that resonated deeply with all of us: Having the strength to maintain internal calmness while in the presence of chaos...
In prison, chaos is the dominant characteristic of our environments identity: An average day in prison consists of constant noise, routine violence, and coercive power. The harsh reality is that at any vulnerable moment, the external chaos in our lives can breach the boundary of our mental serenity, rendering us helpless as it permeates us internally. Protecting our peace from our chaotic environment is a daily duty, a duty that isn’t always fulfilled. This piece of art is a reminder that we must continue to give our all towards positively developing in such toxic and dehumanizing conditions.”
- Isaiah M. Aligos Lucas, participating student
In prison, chaos is the dominant characteristic of our environments identity: An average day in prison consists of constant noise, routine violence, and coercive power. The harsh reality is that at any vulnerable moment, the external chaos in our lives can breach the boundary of our mental serenity, rendering us helpless as it permeates us internally. Protecting our peace from our chaotic environment is a daily duty, a duty that isn’t always fulfilled. This piece of art is a reminder that we must continue to give our all towards positively developing in such toxic and dehumanizing conditions.”
- Isaiah M. Aligos Lucas, participating student
Reinventing Portraits
In my semester-long art course on portraiture, students at the Utah Department of Corrections created metaphorical self-portraits. The class culminated in an exhibition I organized at the Salt Lake City Public Library. Several family members of students were able to attend the opening reception.
