GETTING OUT THERE
E-Mail   by STEVE KING AINSWORTH  Bio/Address
Death Row
San Quentin

"LIFE IS SHORT, ART IS LONG"
Hippocrates of Cos 8 460-357 B.C.E.)

    In order to ensure that Art is "Long" it must be viewed. Prison artists have one thing in common and that is the problem of how to get their art out beyond the walls of their confinement to a viewing audience.
    I have been invited by the free world publishers of THE CELL DOOR to be Art Editor, a position I have to decline due to my position on death row and my perception of what a good Art Editor is supposed to do, and the difficulties or meeting those perceptions. So this will be my first and last article as the Art Editor.

The Artisan 1996 San Quentin

    Prison is a dictatorship in which all things are controlled by the powers that be, including any creative endeavors a prisoner might engage in. Most of the controls act as stumbling blocks to the convicts' efforts at getting out there, and a great deal of effort must me made to surmount them. I have found it easiest to simply give my art away to free folks to do whatever they wish to do with it. Luckily, they have seen fit to expose it to the general public when the opportunity arises.
    Hype-Linked to the end of this article is my artist Bio/Address which lists most of the opportunities that have arisen that I have been lucky enough to participate in. I include this list not to toot my own horn, but to illustrate to other convict artists and craftspeople what can be done with some effort and a few free friends willing to assist them in getting out there.

The Artiste 1996 San Quentin

    Recently my art was exposed at the CRITICAL RESISTANCE conference held at the University of California-Berkeley. The exhibit of visual arts entitled: Critical Resistance: Visions Beyond Lock-Down took place at the Worth Ryder Gallery on the U.C. campus from September 24 through October 9, 1998 and was well attended. The exhibit featured works by a range of visual artists including: myself, Brooke Ashe, Norma Austin, Michael Jacobson-Hardy, Alan Laird, Reddy Lieb, Dawn Passer, Martin Travers, Jean Weisinger, Ruth Morgan, Graffiti Artist Quake, Pablo Espinosa, and Performance Art by: Black Dot Artist Collective, Mystic Flavor, Melissa and Harmonic Intervention.

    There were many photographs of prisoners, as well as photos of men and women who have survived the prison experience. Some of these photos were accompanied by the individual's story. Viewers studied the art, photos and stories and seemed to take the exhibit seriously. A few commented that some of the art and stories were "disturbing" in the way the work caused them to think.

    By all accounts, both the exhibit and the CRITICAL RESISTANCE conference were a success. With the kind permission of the author, I include the following article: A Critical Movement--Finally for the reader's edification.
    In conclusion, as most artists and craftspeople in prison have no access to the Web, I invite any free citizen to download this material and send it to any prisoner on the planet who may be interested in submitting his/her art and/or craft to THE CELL DOOR (photos welcome) and/or articles about prison arts and crafts for posting in future issues.

            Send submissions to:

Biddle Publishing Co.
P.O. Box 1305
Brunswick, ME, 04011

All submissions will be returned to sender if accompanied by return postage and/or SASE. If not, all submissions will remain the property of THE CELL DOOR.

Any convict interested in the volunteer position of Art Editor is welcome to contact Julie Zimmerman:

Biddle Publishing Co.
P.O. Box 1305
Brunswick, ME, 04011

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