TRITON Magazine Winter 2017 | Page 16

ADDRESSING DISPARITY

BEAUTY BEHIND BARS

Art makes an impact for those on the inside .

BY SHERILYN REUS 16 / PHOTOS : PETER MERTS
THOUGHTS OF PRISON generally conjure images of concrete block and iron bars — hard structures housing hard men doing hard time . Yet Laura Pecenco , MA ’ 10 , PhD ’ 15 , is using art to break down this stigma , to better serve prison ’ s true aim of rehabilitation .
While a graduate student in sociology at UC San Diego , Pecenco ’ s research sharpened her eye to the intersection of prison , art and gender constructs . As an undergrad at UC Berkeley she had volunteered in the local prison system and took a particular interest in doodles she noticed in the inmates ’ notebooks . “ I kept seeing things that I identified as feminine , so I wondered , how can we have this sort of duality ? How can we have a hypermasculine place where , supposedly , men have to be tough and put on this sort of mask , but then , on the other hand , here they are creating art that does not share that same sentiment ?”
With the support and encouragement of her graduate advisor , Mary Blair-Loy , along with other dedicated and artful individuals , the Prison Arts INiTiative , or Project PAINT , started as an offshoot of her dissertation and soon became a full-fledged social program . Using art to foster a more positive and rehabilitative environment , the program works with the Richard J . Donovan Correctional Facility in Otay Mesa ,
Calif . and has helped 200 inmates over its four-year history , providing courses on drawing , painting and sculpture .
“ By expressing themselves through art , inmates learn self-identity and , most importantly , empathy ,” Pecenco says . “ We tend to have this view of prison as places where men can ’ t show any emotion . Men seem to have this rulebook of what you can and cannot do , and if you do not act according to this hypermasculine imperative , then you can face very severe consequences .”
CASE IN POINT : When inmates sketched portraits of one another , they were able to stare at each other for extended periods of time without repercussion . Where such an act would normally result in a black eye or worse , the exercise relieved typical tensions and offered a unique way for prisoners to connect . Other projects like self-portraits allow for heavy introspection , as well as reflection and exploration of different parts of their identities .
Project PAINT has transformed the lives of many individuals , both behind and beyond the prison bars . “ It ’ s powerful ,” Pecenco remarks . “ One inmate told me that he finally reached out to his family by sending them some of his work , so now they ’ re talking again after six years apart .”
( L to R ) Project PAINT staff Tara Smith Centybear , Kathleen Mitchell and program founder , Laura Pecenco , MA ' 10 , PhD ' 15 , with the works of their incarcerated students .
And although inmates are enclosed in a somber facility away from the rest of society , Project PAINT brings their artwork to the
fore , celebrating accomplishment and building esteem . Works that emerge from Project PAINT are displayed around Donovan ’ s administration building , and murals are hung in each of the visiting rooms for families and friends to see . The inmates ’ artwork is also often displayed at museums and galleries , including the Oceanside Museum of Art . “ Exhibiting their art makes them feel like they ’ re part of something ; they share that with people they love .”
For Pecenco , it ' s facilitating this kind of validation that sticks with her the most . “ I have one student who regularly says , ‘ Remember when I could only draw stick figures ?’ His smile is just the best thing ever to me . He ’ s just so proud of himself . I love that moment — that sense of ‘ look at what I accomplished .’ I really do think it has an impact far and above any other .”
View more art from Project PAINT and read more about Pecenco ’ s stories from the inside at tritonmag . com / prisonart
14 TRITON | WINTER 2017