Outside of the walls of the prisons of America, people who haven’t been there can never truly know what it’s like to be one of 1.8 million incarcerated people in this country. In “Resonance,” the new exhibit in the McMillian gallery, we catch a glimpse of some of the art that comes from 20 artists from the Oregon State Penitentiary and Oregon State Correctional Institute. The exhibit displays a wide array of mediums including wood carving, painting, leather work and pencil sketches. The different pieces and styles reflect life behind bars and images of the world outside the walls.
This is the second exhibition put on for the Prison Education Program, which has been a part of the University of Oregon since 2016. The program has Oregon student artists get together with inmates to share and create art together.. Unfortunately, the program allowing for prisons to work with artists has been postponed due to the COVID pandemic. Through correspondent courses, artists are still able to learn even though they can’t go inside of the prisons. The program helps facilitate communication between artists inside of the prison system and students outside, creating a better environment for learning so they can break down stereotypes of incarcerated people. The program also helps the inmates earn college credits.
“I hope the exhibit goes far beyond the University of Oregon community,” Emily Kalbrosky, the program assistant for the Prison Education Program, said. “Anyone who can connect to this program can break some stereotypes of what they think of people who live in prison and that there is hope inside and a lot of talent inside these prisons.”
One striking piece in the exhibit is leather work made by an artist named Ron called “Wild Horses.” The piece depicts two horses twisting toward one another in a battle of power. The depths in each groove in the leather bring the motion and emotion to life in the horses’ battle. The leather is stretched around a twisted and carved piece of wood to frame the fight within.
Another powerful image that stands out is the drawing by an artist named Sang that shows an enlarged person inside of a cell. “It is done in shades of gray because it is only done in pencil, so that adds to the ambience of the piece. It shows the isolation from being on the inside,” Kundai Kapurura, the gallery assistant for the visual arts team that helps put together the exhibits, said. The visual arts team decided to display this piece on its own section of a wall near the entrance so that it was the first piece that visitors will see. They also wanted to add to the solemn isolation of the piece by using the space around it. Sang also features two other drawings in the space.
Other mediums featured are paintings like “Save The Girls” by an artist named Brain that has the heroic subjects fighting against nature to save people in need. There is also dreamy airbrush work like “Deep Love” by artist Fransico O with it’s red rose petals separated by endless darkness. Each medium and piece deserves recognition for its artistry and passion.
The exhibit will have a closing reception on Thursday, Feb. 3 at 6 p.m. in the Adell McMillan Gallery. Two of the featured artists who have been released since they were a part of the program will be there to discuss the art and the process of creating it while inside prison. To view the art online, read the artist’s statements and give feedback for the artists to read visit the program’s site.
