art on the inside

Nothing in your pockets.

No keys.

No papers.

No kleenex.

Nothing.

Just your driver’s license.

Oh, and no cell phones.

It’s a felony to bring a cell phone into a prison.

My friend and colleague Janie Paul runs through this list for me while we’re sitting in a parking lot outside a correctional facility in Carson City, Michigan. I’ve asked to follow along on a few of her curatorial trips to gather art work for the Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners. Already this is no ordinary studio visit.

Once we enter the prison lobby, we join up with other members of the Prison Creative Arts Project. We wait for a full body pat down, pass through the metal detector and then get escorted across the prison yard and into another cement block building. We step into a small classroom, and suddenly the moment feels oddly festive. About twenty men are waiting for us. Their artwork is spread out on tables throughout the entire room. They’ve been anticipating this moment all year — the rare chance to talk about their art with someone from the outside.

(This short aired on Michigan Radio in March 2011.)

You can read a lovely essay by Janie Paul reflecting on her many years curating the Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners.