Our goal is to provide work opportunities for Fresno artists and learning experiences for art students from all walks of life.
The Fresno Arts Council employs teaching artists in six state institutions in the Central Valley through Transformative Arts.
Fresno Arts Council's Arts in Corrections (AIC) program brings together Central Valley artists with participants experiencing incarceration to learn new skills and talents for rehabilitation. Video courtesy of CMAC (2018).
From its inception as the Prison Arts Project in 1977 to its relaunch in 2013, California’s prison arts program has envisioned that all people experiencing incarceration are deserving of dignity, respect, and the tools for healing from trauma. On March 1, 2021, this program was renamed, from Arts in Corrections to Transformative Arts, to spotlight the positive impact of the program’s ability to enhance people’s lives by reimagining other possibilities for themselves, their communities, and the world through arts education.
Read the full announcement from Transformative Arts Program Manager Mariana Moscoso (they/them) here.
Administered by the California Arts Council and made possible via an interagency agreement with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), the Transformative Arts program is available at all 35 state adult correctional institutions and implements arts education as a means to increase critical thinking skills, promote meaningful interactions, and manage the social and emotional well-being of people in incarceration. The Fresno Arts Council provides learning services for select institutions, employing local teaching artists to provide courses in drawing, choir, music, dance, mural painting, creative writing, indigenous folk art and more.
Institutions served include:
Avenal State Prison (Avenal)
Central California Women’s Facility (Chowchilla)
Corcoran State Prison (Corcoran)
Kern Valley State Prison (Delano)
Pleasant Valley State Prison (Coalinga)
Valley State Prison (Chowchilla)
Arts in Corrections Exhibit Featured at Fresno City Hall on July 7, 2022
On Thursday, July 7th, during Arthop, Fresno Arts Council presented the Arts in Corrections Exhibit and Reception at Fresno City Hall. Works on display were created by students participating in the Arts in Corrections program at local correctional institutions. Arts In Corrections (AIC) is a statewide program designed to prepare incarcerated individuals for success upon release, and courses cover many fine arts disciplines.
With the support of the California Arts Council (CAC), through a contract with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), the Fresno Arts Council has delivered art services to correctional institutions while providing work opportunities for local professional artists since 2014. The Fresno Arts Council currently employs 19 teaching artists across seven institutions in California: Avenal State Prison; Corcoran State Prison, Substance Abuse and Treatment Facility, Central California Women’s Facility, Pleasant Valley State Prison; and Kern Valley State Prison. Teaching artists cover many art disciplines and included in the exhibit were pieces from our poetry, drawing, and oil & acrylic painting classes.
AIC instructors attended the exhibit and reception, during which Songwriting instructor, Omar Naré, played “Now that I’m Home,” the original song his students wrote. "A person who learns to write a song learns to tell the truth," said Naré. "They examine the secret person of the heart. That's the value of AIC and my privilege to teach."
Painting teaching artist, Gema Lopez, attended the event with her family. “The AIC Show is a positive experience for everyone,” she said. “Viewers are always so impressed with the students' art skills and the power of their words. Students are excited and eager to participate and happy to hear about the positive responses to their work."
Poetry teaching artist, Sally Vogl, said, “Preparation for the exhibit involved a new poetry form each week, to give each student an opportunity to express himself, maybe even to excel. The students understand that this exhibit honors them and that their poems matter. As teaching artists, if we value our participants as human beings and validate their art and writing, then we have done our job."
Many of the artworks are available for sale, with proceeds donated to the Marjoree Mason Center in Fresno at the discretion of the participants. If you are interested in purchasing artwork from this exhibit, please call the Fresno Arts Council at 559-237-9734 to complete your purchase. If you would like to learn more about the AIC program, please contact eric@fresnoartscouncil.org.
Fresno Arts Council would like to personally thank the artists for their hard work and dedication to the AIC program. Special thanks to the Wardens and Community Resource Managers from each institution for making this creative opportunity possible.
Partners
The mission of the CAC, a state agency, is to advance California through the arts and creativity. The AIC program is deeply tied to the CAC’s belief in the power of the arts to inspire change, transformation, and growth. With each art engagement comes a new opportunity to tap an individual’s creativity, illustrate their potential, and strengthen resolve. Learn more at www.arts.ca.gov.
The CDCR enhances public safety through safe and secure incarceration of offenders, effective parole supervision, and rehabilitative strategies to successfully reintegrate offenders into our communities. The goal of the AIC program is to expose offenders to courses where they can express themselves therapeutically through drawing, writing, dancing, poetry, acting, and other artistic methods. Learn more at www.cdcr.ca.gov.