So, You Want to Start a Prison Arts Program…

This project developed from a place of frustration.  I was an eager college student longing to start a creative expressions workshop in New Jersey’s prison for women.  My peers and I had no idea of what we were potentially getting ourselves into.  We were filled with questions and enthusiasm for this work, yet we had little, if any, practical experience.  Now, over a year later and in a very different context, I have an opportunity to ask experienced practitioners in the field of arts in corrections for advice and suggestions.  These questions are based on inquiries I had last year while trying to start a program, as well as questions asked by college students, artists and others who have recently begun facilitating workshops.  My hope is that the following advice will be a tool for other students, artists, activists, or organizations interested in creating artistic opportunities in correctional settings.

Artists and educators who have been facilitating workshops in prisons since the 1980s can provide a wealth of information.  From their years of working in correctional facilities, writing about their experiences and researching other arts in corrections programs, they have accumulated a diversity of knowledge and practical advice.  This roundtable discussion is an attempt to tap into this well of wisdom and disseminate the information they have gathered through experience and reflection on the field.