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A Yearlong Interdisciplinary Exploration of the California Prison System
UPCOMING PRISON PROJECT EVENTS
MUTUAL AID PEN-PAL PROJECT
PRISON PROJECT COMMUNITY ADVISORY NETWORK
INTERSECTION FOR THE ARTS introduces The Prison Project a year-long series of events and programs exploring the California prison system. With this project, an array of artists working in fields as broad as visual art, theatre, dance, poetry and jazz challenge us to recognize that incarceration is a fundamental part of the fabric of contemporary Californian, and U.S. society. Incarceration affects those inside and outside of prison and within these stories are human beings, families, and communities that make up a large cross-section of California's population.
By bringing together gifted artists, respected scholars, and significant activists, we are able to consider the impact and effects of imprisonment from different angles, through different mediums, and with different communities. We hope to illuminate the stories of those who are in prison, and challenge us all to recognize that incarceration is unfortunately fundamental to the fabric of contemporary Californian, and U.S. society and that cultural space is pivotal in this necessary dialogue. -Deborah Cullinan, Executive Director
Throughout 2007 and early 2008, The Prison Project will include state-wide outreach and research, a series of workshops, community conversations, story projects, as well as the world premieres of new works by Howard Wiley and the Angola Prison Project; Erika Shuch and the ESP Project; Jimmy Santiago Baca, Ntozake Shange and Campo Santo; and simultaneous visual arts exhibitions at San Francisco State University and Intersection for the Arts. Working with an esteemed Community Advisory Network, we will also be hosting quarterly public forums that bring together the activists, scholars, and artists who are at the forefront of this seminal issue. We are honored to be working with pivotal organizations including California Prison Focus, Prison Activist Resource Center, San Francisco State University and more detailed below.
One Year Later...Collaborations from the Mutual Aid Pen-Pal Project 2007-8
Wednesday, May 28
6pm Performance
7pm Discussion and Reception
$5 - $15 (sliding scale)
Pen-Pals on the outside will share segments of their collaborations across prison walls including theater, dramatic readings, dance, original music compositions and film. Artists presenting work include: Jen Baker, Merrill Gruver, Judith Jordan, Carey Hope Lamprecht, Jeff Kingman and Eireen Nealand. Other participants of the project will be acknowledged and participate in informal discussions of their experiences. The reception is also a celebration of the culminating zine from the 2006-7 round of the project.
Jen Baker
Will share a collage of all of the letters her pen pal has sent along with flyers of organized events she has co-engineered in an effort to make her prison community a better place.
Merrill Gruver
A staged reading with three actors and voice over
(15 minutes)
Judith Jordan
Tehachapi
The performance, a staged vignette by poet Jermaine Smothers and playwright Judith Jordan, was drawn from personal correspondence and public forums. This scene presents a dynamic dialog of friends and family members as one prepares to visit a prisoner for the first time.
(5 minutes)
Jeff Kingman
A One-Act Play With Four Characters
The play is something of a farce or perhaps theatre of the absurd. The themes are Native Americans, land ownership and Anglo imperialism. The prisoner pen pal is the author, Jeff is simply the editor.
(15 minutes)
Carey Lamprecht
A Multi-Media Performance
The poem My Lady Love Ol' Liberty has been recorded (a prisoner reads it) and will have music (strings arranged by myself) and segments of sound put to it
including Angela Davis, Martin Luther King Jr. and others. When it is performed, it will include a solo piece of modern dance by Mr. Folawole Oyinlola to the recorded music and spoken word, as well as a film projected on the back wall of a found footage from a Civil Rights march from the South in the early 1960s.
(10 minutes)
Eireene Nealand
Film Screening
This short film is a meditation on breathing that documents Greg Chansky's ride from county jail to San Quentin. It shows artifacts from everday prison life, such as meal cards and prayer books, and as well as before an after pictures of Greg. The film examines connections between prisons and the larger structures of California's economy. The monologue is an edited version of an interview that was developed in conjunction with letter conversations between pen-pals Eireene and Anna-Bell about everyday prison life.
(10 minutes)
****
Pen Pal Project - A collaboration with the Building Bloc Collective, this project pairs artists inside and outside prison through a pen pal project. The partners are encouraged to create art via writing, visual art and exchange
Golden Rules - In collaboration with artists from the Paper Airplane Collective, we are produced a limited edition publication offering a brief overview of the California Prison System, and the Prison Project. This zine is available at Intersection for the Arts.
PRISON PROJECT COMMUNITY ADVISORY NETWORK County Public Library/Write 2 Read
Alameda County Library
Juvenile Hall Literacy
2200 Fairmont Drive
San Leandro, CA 94578
(510) 557-0643
Alameda County Library provides library service and literacy/life skills instruction to the more than 4,000 men and women held in County jails. Over 75% of the materials circulated each year are donated by members of the community. Bestsellers, westerns, poetry, African-American fiction and non-fiction as well as books focused on self-help and recovery are all very popular.
How you can help: If you have paperbacks or recent issues of popular magazines in good condition that you would like to donate please phone 510-745-1492.
All of Us or None / Legal Services for Prisoners with Children
1540 Market St. Ste. 490
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-255-7036 Ext. 337
All of Us or None is a national organizing initiative of prisoners, former prisoners and felons, to combat the many forms of discrimination that we face as the result of felony convictions. After serving time in torturous conditions, we were met at the gate with prejudice and discrimination that made our re-entry into society difficult and in some cases impossible. Many of us recognize that our prison sentence never ends as longs as the discrimination against us continues. All of Us or None has chapters in East Palo Alto, Los Angeles, Oakland, Oklahoma, San Bernardino and San Diego.
How you can help: Contact us by telephone, e-mail or letter; Organize other former felons to discuss the impact of their felony convictions on their lives; Organize an All of Us or None Meeting; Stop hiding your felony status if it is not life threatening to do so (the successful among us must be seen as more than exceptions); Share our literature with other former prisoners and felons; Help build a base so we can impact public polices and private prejudices that destroy our future. General Meetings are held every third Thursday, 6:30 pm at 1904 Franklin St., 9th Floor Oakland, CA. If you do not live in the Bay Area, please contact us for information about meetings near you.
Building Bloc Collective
1904 Franklin St. Suite 504
Oakland, CA 94612
(415) 217-9885
Building Bloc is a collective of artists dedicated to using art to explore the social inequalities in our society. Through experimentation, collaboration, and performance, we inform, provoke, and inspire ourselves and our audiences. We aim to spark dialogue, to create and sustain relationships between artists and community organizations, to support existing struggles for social justice, and to erase the boundaries between art and activism.
How you can help: Building Bloc is accepting volunteers to help with answering letters from the inside, fundraising, updating or re-designing the website, layout of the zine, sort incoming mail, and help with organizing and production of Dance Down the Lock Down. Financial donations are also accepted.
California Coalition for Women Prisoners
1540 Market St. Suite 490
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 255-7036 ext. 4
CCWP is a grassroots racial justice organization that challenges the institutional violence imposed on women and communities of color by prisons and the criminal justice system. We are building a movement with women prisoners, family members of prisoners, and the larger communities through organizing, leadership development, and political education.
How you can help: Visit our website to buy raffle tickets or to make a donation online or by mail. On the website, you may also join our sisters inside and other members across the state in taking action to demand change. Our current campaign, "Letters for Liberation," was created by CCWP members inside. The campaign involves a set of 10 letters to be sent to legislators and the governor, which target two areas: 1. Release women from prison, 2. Return family boxes, eliminate vendor boxes, and amend the new matrix to include reasonable requests.
California Prison Focus
2940 16th Street #B-5
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 252-9211
The mission for which California Prison Focus is organized is to end human rights abuses and torture in California prisons including abolishing the Security Housing Units, to end medical neglect and to insure civil and human rights for all prisoners. CPF achieves its purposes by visiting prisoners, monitoring conditions, educating the public and policymakers, providing a voice for and working with prisoners, and encouraging legal advocacy.
How you can help: CPF holds volunteer nights on the third Wednesday of every month 7-9 p.m. Volunteer and help with: Letter writing; prison visits; organizing; the newsletter; outreach; campaigns for prisoners' human rights. Meet other CPF volunteers! To get started please call the office and leave a message with your contact information or email CPF making sure the word “volunteer” is in the subject line.
Community Works West/The San Francisco Sheriff's Dept. Women's Reentry and Restorative Justice Center
1605 Bonita Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94709
(510) 486-2340
CW/W seeks to provide disenfranchised populations in the San Francisco Bay Area with opportunities to build community and give voice to their experiences. CW/W is particularly concerned with the effects of soaring incarceration rates on communities, impacting not only the offending individuals but also families, neighbors, and survivors of crime. Community Works is partnering with the San Francisco Sheriff's Department in helping to open the Women’s Reentry and Restorative Justice. This resource center will be unique as it will alleviate a great deal of the current local negotiation and issues that the DA, the Mayor’s office and local women's groups are grappling with surrounding the dearth of services that respond to the needs of incarcerated women and their families.
How you can help: A donation to Community Works helps serve youth impacted by incarceration.
Critical Resistance
1904 Franklin St., Suite 504
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 444-0484/(510) 444-2177
Critical Resistance seeks to build an international movement to end the Prison Industrial Complex by challenging the belief that caging and controlling people makes us safe. We believe that basic necessities such as food, shelter, and freedom are what really make our communities safe. As such, our work is part of global struggles against inequality and powerlessness. The success of the movement requires that it reflect communities most affected by the PIC. Because we seek to abolish the PIC, we cannot support any work that extends its life or scope.
How you can help: Come to a new member orientation--The Oakland chapter of Critical Resistance holds new member orientations at our office every first Tuesday, please RSVP so we know to expect you.
Join as a member volunteer or apply for a summer internship. We have stipends for those most impacted by the Prison Industrial Complex but are always looking for more members. We are volunteer-based (only one staff member) so volunteers and members are the same thing. The fight to end the prison industrial complex is huge - so we have a variety of exciting projects always ongoing - everything from helping us with media, speaking and tabling, research, document production to more... It's best for us if you're able to make a weekly commitment - but the number of hours is up to you.
Critical Resistance Oakland is always looking for members for the following workgroups: Answering Prisoner Mail; Community Outreach and Organizing; Fundraising; The Plan for a Safer Oakland organizing initiative in partnership with All of Us or None to make Oakland a truly safe place; Our two statewide coalitions that work to reduce our reliance on prisons by reducing the number of people in prison and reducing the number of prisons in California, or participate in producing our quarterly newspaper, "The Abolitionist" that is written with a focus on prisoners and the prison industrial complex. We can also use folks in the office, from making member calls to doing data entry to making flyers and more. If you are interested in becoming a member, please call or email us for further information.
Education Not Incarceration
3280 Morcom Ave.
Oakland, CA 94619
(510) 868-1870
Education Not Incarceration (ENI) advocates reprioritizing resources away from prison systems into comprehensive and equitable education for all people. ENI is dedicated to supportive rather than punitive actions. ENI mobilizes grassroots campaigns through rallies, forums, petitions, media and lobbying; improves the social fabric supporting schools; develops and implements youth educational programs; and assists families facing punitive measures in the education system.
How you can help: Becoming a member of ENI is the best way to support our work. Membership is people power, information, and donation. Your funding keeps us independent and able to effectively organize and pressure decision makers. Politicians listen to two things: money and people. While it's true that ENI may never have millions of dollars to lobby with like the prison industry does, each member grows our grassroots political power bringing us ever closer to winning equitable education for all. Monthly giving is the best giving option for both ENI and our supporters - it allows us to have a dependable base of support and save time, banking fees and paper by not having to send supporters future reminders and renewal notices.
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights / Books Not Bars
344 40th St.
Oakland, CA 94609
(510) 428-3939
Books Not Bars fights to redirect California's resources away from youth incarceration and towards youth opportunities. We engage in grassroots campaigns using media advocacy, policy advocacy, grassroots organizing, and alliance building. Currently, we are working to close California's abusive, expensive youth prisons and replace them with rehabilitation centers and community-based programs.
How you can help: The easiest way to get involved with Books Not Bars is to become one of our Online Supporters. Just sign up on our website and you can stay in the loop with our E-Updates and spread the word to your friends and allies with a simple forward. Please also consider volunteering some of your time to our campaign to get rid of California's abusive and expensive youth prisons and replace them with a system that works. To get information about volunteering, please call 510.428.3939 x238.
Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 863-9977
Our mission is to preserve the past - illuminate the present - shape the future. With 8000 hours of audio and video recordings documenting social justice movements locally, nationally, and internationally from the 1960s to the present. The Archives features speeches of movement leaders and community activists, protests and demonstrations, cultural currents of rebellion and resistance.
How you can help: Freedom Archives offers an internship program for community youth and students interested in helping to preserve this important media while learning useful skills in production. Those interested should contact the Freedom Archives for more information.
Justice Now
1322 Webster Street, Suite 210
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 839-7654
Our mission is to end violence against women and to stop imprisonment. We believe that prisons and policing are not making our communities safe and whole but that, in fact, the current system severely damages the people it imprisons and the communities most affected by it. We promote alternatives to policing and prisons and challenge the prison industrial complex in all its forms. Justice Now is the first teaching law clinic in the country solely focused on the needs of women prisoners. Interns and staff provide legal services in areas of need identified by women prisoners.
How you can help: The movement against the prison industrial complex requires the work of many people. Train as an intern in our office. Our internship program is offered year-round; Volunteer in our office or your community on campaigns against the prison system; Organize an event or house party and invite us to educate your guests. We provide speakers to community events; Contribute your time to train prisoner organizers or consult with our staff. We need the assistance of healthcare providers and others with special skills; Make a donation to support Justice Now’s efforts.
The Medea Project: Theater for Incarcerated Women / Cultural Odyssey
African American Art & Culture Complex
762 Fulton Street, San Francisco, CA
(415) 292-1850
The Medea Project is a production of Cultural Odyssey, which continues to develop original productions that demonstrate their vision of "ARTS AS SOCIAL ACTIVISM". In 1989, on the basis of material developed while conducting classes at the San Francisco County Jail, Rhodessa Jones created "Big Butt Girls, Hard Headed Women", a performance piece based on the lives of the incarcerated women she encountered. During the work's creation, Jones and jail officials were made aware of issues that were specific to female inmates, such as guilt, depression, and self-loathing, which arose in response to feelings of failure in the face of community. These issues directly contribute to recidivism among female offenders. Based on this observation, Jones founded THE MEDEA PROJECT: THEATER FOR INCARCERATED WOMEN to explore whether an arts-based approach could help reduce the numbers of women returning to jail.
How you can help: Please contact us if you are interested in volunteering. We are currently seeking fundraisers within the private sector who can help the company secure funds for international travel; a technical editor who will donate time towards editing and boxing the plays for publication and sales; people to form an advisory committee for the sole purpose of taking The Medea Project globally; and videographers with some funding resources to travel with the company. Our doors are always open to educators, healers, dreamers and women who are interested in the empowerment of all women. The squeamish need not apply- The Medea Project is looking for women that have been around the block at least twice!
Prison Activist Resource Center (PARC)
PO Box 339
Berkeley, CA 94701
(510) 893-4648
PARC is a prison abolitionist group committed to exposing and challenging the institutionalized racism of the prison industrial complex. We are also committed to developing and practicing anti-oppression as individuals and in our organization. PARC believes in strategies and tactics that build safety in oppressed communities without reliance on the police or the PIC. We produce a directory that is free to prisoners upon request, and seek to work in solidarity with prisoners, formerly incarcerated people, their friends and families. We also work with teachers and activists on prison issues. This work includes building action networks and materials that expose human rights violations.
How you can help: There are 2 million people in United States prisons today. We need a lot of help to grow our movement. Time and money are two ways you can help us better support anti-prison activism. We're also looking for tech skills, experience with prisoner support, and in-kind donations.
Prison Radio
A Project of the Redwood Justice Fund
PO Box 411074
San Francisco, CA 94141
(415) 648-4505
Prison Radio’s mission is to challenge mass incarceration and racism by airing the voices of men and women in prison by bringing their voices into the public dialogue on crime and punishment. Our educational materials serve as a catalyst for public activism. Prison Radio’s productions illustrate the perspectives and the intrinsic human worth of the more than 5.1 million people under correctional control in the U.S. We seek to have listeners question the costs to society of mass incarceration and the increasing use of the death penalty. We believe prisoners' voices and stories will: Help shift public opinion toward a more humane view of prisoners; Help spur public motivation to look at core-system issues that create crime and poverty; Help expose the prison industry
How you can help: To subscribe to the Prison Radio Zap-email list, send a blank email message to prison_radio-subscribe@topica.com. Please support the work of Prison Radio with your donations. On our website, we accept secure online credit card donations through Network for Good or PayPal. To get on our mailing list, please send us a contribution of $25 or more.
William James Association
P.O. Box 1632
Santa Cruz, CA 95061
(831) 426-2474
The William James Association promotes work service in the arts, environment, education, and community development. The Prison Arts Project contracts with professional artists to provide in-depth, long-term arts experiences for incarcerated men and women. Begun in 1977, the program selects and hires professional visual, literary and performing artists to teach in California state prison facilities. The Prison Arts Project also establishes Artist-In-Residence programs for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
How you can help: Email wja@cruzio.com for more information.
Write & Rise
P.O. Box 1
3181 Mission St.
San Francisco, CA 94110
Write & Rise provides the means of self-exploration through writing for adults and youth affected by Incarceration In order to facilitate the healing of Individuals, their families, communities and wider society. Write & Rise provides autobiographical writing workshops in jails, prisons, community, and treatment centers and publishes anthologies and single author books by people affected by Incarceration.
How you can help: We need donations. We also need volunteers in book design, typing, and proofreading to help us with our books. We welcome invitations for readings and presentations at schools and universities, community and treatment centers, conferences, and other public venues.
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