Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Prison windows
By Chip Dombrowski, Entertainment Editor
Friday, December 05, 2008 | No comments posted.
BANDON — Under the best circumstances, making art is usually difficult.
A lot of work goes into realizing a vision. But most artists have an advantage they may not have considered: a wide variety of tools and supplies at their disposal.
For those serving time in Oregon’s prisons, access to these supplies is a critical limitation:
• There is no paint.
• Paper is not available in large sizes.
• Nor are there standard pens and pencils, which could be used as weapons.
Yet, as the Native American Prison Art exhibit opening Sunday at Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center in Bandon show, much is possible under these conditions. Working only with soft colored pencils and special miniature pens, some of these artists have produced vivid, detailed works — a few of which could easily be mistaken for paintings.
The quality of the work varies greatly.
“Some of the people never tried their hand at drawing before they were incarcerated; others were already professional artists who just happened to be in prison,” said Victoria Tierney, who coordinates exhibits at the hospital. “What they don’t have in expertise, they sort of make up for in that they do have a lot of time on their hands.”
The exhibit, subtitled “Native American Art Empowers ‘Invisible People,’” is a project of Red Lodge Transition Services, a Portland group that helps Native American women transition from the prison system back into society. Through sales of prints and calendars, the nonprofit is raising money to buy a transition house in Portland for women.
Native Americans are incarcerated at more than twice their percentage of the population, according to Red Lodge, which lists 85 tribes represented in Oregon’s 14 correctional facilities. The exhibit, which was shown in Eugene last month, includes work from 11 of those prisons, but not nearby Shutter Creek Correctional Institution.
By promoting calmness and reducing stress, art is beneficial to prisoners, says Trish Jordan, director of Red Lodge and a volunteer who conducts Native American religious services at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville.
“It takes 18 months of clear conduct to get a craft box at the women’s prison, and it takes years to get into the hobby shop at Oregon State Prison,” Jordan wrote in an e-mail. “The ability to create art and practice art using different mediums is used as a means of rewarding people in prison, and it is seen as an effective tool. … Artistic creative projects help to change a person’s mindset from destruction to construction.”
There are 90 works in the exhibit, with about a dozen coming from artists outside the prison system. Portland artist Kalia Farrell-Smith, the daughter of a Klamath Tribe elder, contributed several pieces, and there is also a box of her prints that exhibit viewers can flip through. There are a couple of giclees by North Bend artist Peggy O’Neal, who also has Native American heritage.
Among the prison art, Tierney found some pieces typical of prison art that look like tattoos, but most are more typical of Native American art. There are a lot of eagles and eagle feathers, as well as salmon and other natural imagery.
Highlights include “Children With Blue Corn” by Antonio Diaz Crazy Bull, which shows two Indian children playing with several ears of corn, and “A Piece of Paradise” by George Velincio, which shows an undersea scene of dolphins and other aquatic life. Tierney said the pieces at the high end of the exhibit’s price spectrum — $200 to $300 — are bargains that would sell for thousands in Portland galleries.
Some pieces, such as American Buffalo’s “All Feathered Up” and Joseph Lefever’s “Taste of Freedom,” are particularly colorful, while others, such as Crazy James’ “Medicine Wheel,” are monochromatic. Tierney said some prisoners in isolation units may not have privileges to use colored pencils.
“They have so little to work with,” Tierney said. “It’s amazing what some of them can do with it.”
A lot of work goes into realizing a vision. But most artists have an advantage they may not have considered: a wide variety of tools and supplies at their disposal.
For those serving time in Oregon’s prisons, access to these supplies is a critical limitation:
• There is no paint.
• Paper is not available in large sizes.
• Nor are there standard pens and pencils, which could be used as weapons.
Yet, as the Native American Prison Art exhibit opening Sunday at Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center in Bandon show, much is possible under these conditions. Working only with soft colored pencils and special miniature pens, some of these artists have produced vivid, detailed works — a few of which could easily be mistaken for paintings.
The quality of the work varies greatly.
“Some of the people never tried their hand at drawing before they were incarcerated; others were already professional artists who just happened to be in prison,” said Victoria Tierney, who coordinates exhibits at the hospital. “What they don’t have in expertise, they sort of make up for in that they do have a lot of time on their hands.”
The exhibit, subtitled “Native American Art Empowers ‘Invisible People,’” is a project of Red Lodge Transition Services, a Portland group that helps Native American women transition from the prison system back into society. Through sales of prints and calendars, the nonprofit is raising money to buy a transition house in Portland for women.
Native Americans are incarcerated at more than twice their percentage of the population, according to Red Lodge, which lists 85 tribes represented in Oregon’s 14 correctional facilities. The exhibit, which was shown in Eugene last month, includes work from 11 of those prisons, but not nearby Shutter Creek Correctional Institution.
By promoting calmness and reducing stress, art is beneficial to prisoners, says Trish Jordan, director of Red Lodge and a volunteer who conducts Native American religious services at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville.
“It takes 18 months of clear conduct to get a craft box at the women’s prison, and it takes years to get into the hobby shop at Oregon State Prison,” Jordan wrote in an e-mail. “The ability to create art and practice art using different mediums is used as a means of rewarding people in prison, and it is seen as an effective tool. … Artistic creative projects help to change a person’s mindset from destruction to construction.”
There are 90 works in the exhibit, with about a dozen coming from artists outside the prison system. Portland artist Kalia Farrell-Smith, the daughter of a Klamath Tribe elder, contributed several pieces, and there is also a box of her prints that exhibit viewers can flip through. There are a couple of giclees by North Bend artist Peggy O’Neal, who also has Native American heritage.
Among the prison art, Tierney found some pieces typical of prison art that look like tattoos, but most are more typical of Native American art. There are a lot of eagles and eagle feathers, as well as salmon and other natural imagery.
Highlights include “Children With Blue Corn” by Antonio Diaz Crazy Bull, which shows two Indian children playing with several ears of corn, and “A Piece of Paradise” by George Velincio, which shows an undersea scene of dolphins and other aquatic life. Tierney said the pieces at the high end of the exhibit’s price spectrum — $200 to $300 — are bargains that would sell for thousands in Portland galleries.
Some pieces, such as American Buffalo’s “All Feathered Up” and Joseph Lefever’s “Taste of Freedom,” are particularly colorful, while others, such as Crazy James’ “Medicine Wheel,” are monochromatic. Tierney said some prisoners in isolation units may not have privileges to use colored pencils.
“They have so little to work with,” Tierney said. “It’s amazing what some of them can do with it.”
Native American Prison Art
Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center, Bandon
Dates: Dec. 7 through Jan. 30, 2009
Times: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Controversial killer left out of exhibit
As organizers prepared to bring the Native American Prison Art exhibit to Bandon, they found a controversy on their hands.
A few of the pieces originally in the exhibit were made by Girley Crum, the notorious killer of five members of a Bandon family in 1996. Crum, who is of Eastern Cherokee descent, was convicted of five counts of aggravated murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole, which he is serving at Snake River Correctional Facility in Eastern Oregon.
Trish Jordan, director of Red Lodge Transition Services and the exhibit’s organizer, decided not to show Crum’s work in Bandon.
“Out of respect for the family, and out of respect for all people, Red Lodge does not wish to cause anyone pain,” Jordan wrote.
Due to space constraints, the exhibit would not be presented in its entirety at the hospital anyway, said Victoria Tierney, who coordinates exhibits at the hospital. Originally, there were more than 100 pieces in the exhibit, now reduced to 90.
A Crum piece is, however, included in a calendar that will be for sale at the exhibit. The 2009 calendar is part of Red Lodge’s efforts to raise money to buy a transition house in Portland for Native American women coming out of the prison system. Crum is the artist for May.
Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center, Bandon
Dates: Dec. 7 through Jan. 30, 2009
Times: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Controversial killer left out of exhibit
As organizers prepared to bring the Native American Prison Art exhibit to Bandon, they found a controversy on their hands.
A few of the pieces originally in the exhibit were made by Girley Crum, the notorious killer of five members of a Bandon family in 1996. Crum, who is of Eastern Cherokee descent, was convicted of five counts of aggravated murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole, which he is serving at Snake River Correctional Facility in Eastern Oregon.
Trish Jordan, director of Red Lodge Transition Services and the exhibit’s organizer, decided not to show Crum’s work in Bandon.
“Out of respect for the family, and out of respect for all people, Red Lodge does not wish to cause anyone pain,” Jordan wrote.
Due to space constraints, the exhibit would not be presented in its entirety at the hospital anyway, said Victoria Tierney, who coordinates exhibits at the hospital. Originally, there were more than 100 pieces in the exhibit, now reduced to 90.
A Crum piece is, however, included in a calendar that will be for sale at the exhibit. The 2009 calendar is part of Red Lodge’s efforts to raise money to buy a transition house in Portland for Native American women coming out of the prison system. Crum is the artist for May.
The comments below are from users of theworldlink.com and do not necessarily represent the views of The World or Lee Enterprises. Participation Guidelines
Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Not already registered?
The World welcomes your comments about stories, and we encourage a robust dialogue on this site. All comments must meet reasonable standards of decency and civility.
Please follow these basic rules:
- No defamatory comments about individuals or businesses.
- No deliberately false information.
- No obscenity or racially offensive language.
- No harassment, verbal abuse, threats or personal attacks.
- No information that invades another person's privacy.
- No business solicitations or charitable solicitations.
Comments that violate these standards will not be posted. Users with repeated violations may be banned from future posting.Comments will be approved throughout the day during business hours. After hours and weekend comments may not appear until the following business day. It may take a couple of hours before comments are approved.
The World generally does not edit comments, but we reserve the right to edit any comment that does not meet our standards.
Close Guidelines