Art and Poetry from the Santa Cruz Main Jail

RCNV to host Exhibit of Art & Poetry from Santa Cruz County Jail

The Santa Cruz based William James Association Prison Arts Project sponsors fine arts classes by professional artists in prisons throughout California. They also work locally to bring professional artists to the Santa Cruz County Jail and into our Alternative Ed High Schools.

On Friday, November 2 from 6-9 PM they will open an exhibit of art and poetry created by inmates at The Santa Cruz County Main Jail at the Resource Center for Non-Violence, 612 Ocean St. in Santa Cruz. The exhibit will be on display through December 28 of this year. The opening will be an opportunity to meet the artist teachers and learn more about the way in which the fine arts are creating sanctuaries for creative self-expression and personal growth in our correctional facilities.

According to the jail’s Inmate Programs Manager Cynthia Chase, “Arts programming teaches inmates to engage their brains, encouraging new ways of viewing the world, and of relating to each other, officers and the community at large.”

Dennis Morton has been leading weekly poetry workshops at the Main Jail for over six years. Each week he brings to the class poems by noted poets and a writing exercise to stimulate his students’ work. Visual Artist Tripura Anand has been teaching for almost two years. Security restrictions limit her choice of materials, so she has developed a collage art program using torn paper that her students transform into beautiful, powerful and humorous images from their lives and imaginations.

Tripura Anand says of her work, “I have witnessed individuals who arrive tense and high-strung become relaxed and calm while making art. And I have been impressed by extraordinary positive interactions between correctional officers and inmates as a result of the trusting atmosphere accompanying the art workshops.”

The Jail Arts Project is supported by Arts Council Santa Cruz, the Santa Cruz County Office of Education & private donations to the William James Association.

Contact:
William James Association Prison Arts Project:
Jack Bowers, Senior Arts Mentor, [email protected]
(831) 332-5566
Laurie Brooks, Executive Director [email protected]
(831) 607-8952