intense yearning to create
Phyllis Kornfeld, author of Cellblock Visions: Prison Art in America, sent the to a wonderful essay she wrote (the piece includes beautiful images of work done by people in prison). Phyllis writes about how she thinks of her work:
"'Art Teacher' didn't seem the right job description after a few weeks of working behind bars. Some of the men and women had already created strikingly fresh work without benefit of an art program or decent materials.
"Teaching the conventional principals, techniques, and subject matter—in other words, what was taught to me—not only seemed irrelevant, but that such an approach was likely to put a lid on the intense yearning to create what was obvious, and poignant, in most of the people who came to my classes."
Tags: art, Cellblock Visions, Phyllis Kornfeld, prison, prison art