San Quentin News

Written By Incarcerated - Advancing Social Justice

Arts

Andrew Wadsworth finds healing with each stroke of the paintbrush

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Andrew Wadsworth began his incarceration as a 16-year-old. He admits that his path to adulthood has had its challenges. Now 38, he’s in the early stages of realizing that a paintbrush is an excellent way to express himself.  “It’s hard for me to express myself without coming off arrogant,” Wadsworth said. “With abstract painting there are lots … [Read More...]

Stitch-wiz Ezekiel Gonzalez inspired by love for his daughters

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“My two daughters Jacklynn and Lilly were the ones that inspired me to create these teddy bears,” said Ezekiel Gonzalez, 51, a resident of San Quentin.  Gonzalez’s talent seems anything but ordinary inside prison walls. He sews handmade teddy bears and stuffs them with cotton, a craft and its products not often seen in a world of metal and … [Read More...]

One of SQ’s newest artists honors lives lost to COVID

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“I am a person who wants to bring happiness to all, by placing a smile on people’s face, a shimmering of hope,” said Shelley Small, a new San Quentin arrival. The artist considers himself a person with multiple talents, who is a caring and giving person.  One of his goals is to bring out the hidden talents that others’ might have. Showing … [Read More...]

Glen Shafer: Soledad neoclassical
artist owes his life to his art

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Incarcerated for 35 years, the artist finds art itself to be his most stabilizing influence  SQNews is featuring art submissions from incarcerated men in institutions other than San Quentin. We begin with the art of Glen W. Shafer, a resident of Soledad State Prison.  “I owe my art my life,” said Shafer. “Today I am very grateful God has … [Read More...]

Rhymester ‘God MC’ Rakim transforms 80s rap

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“Changing the game” is an expression used to describe exceptional individuals who have transformed and elevated their particular field or occupation.  Hip hop great and rapper Rakim (William Griffin Jr.) is a game changer in rap music. Known as one of greatest MCs of all time, he pioneered the complex lyrical rhyme pattern that transformed rap … [Read More...]

ART IS THE WAY

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by George Mesro Coles-El Would you bother to read this poem todayif no pen or papercould move or staywith stanzas to displaythe world as it turns and sways? Would throbbing drums move your feetIn a pattern of stomps and sweepsFrom a time when your ancestors could not sleepWithout prayers for their souls to keep? How would food look … [Read More...]

TOWER ART REFLECTIONS

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The Tower Book was conceived by book artist Beth Thielen in collaboration with San Quentin artists and women at the California Rehabilitation Center. Its accordion-style pages, built to fit inside a model prison tower, feature mugshot-style images of the incarcerated, photos capturing not the person’s worst moments, but rather their greatest … [Read More...]

HEART OF DARKNESS

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When 38-year-old Edgar Zarate Martinez picks up a pencil or a paintbrush, it’s his mother’s influence that he channels into his art. “I was raised by a single mother,” he said. “That’s why I find women to be inspirational — because of their strength and unbreakable spirits.” The visions he commits to paper and canvas are intended not only … [Read More...]

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT – Beached

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Throughout historyprisoners have pursuedmyriad means of creativeexpression. Nearly twomillennia ago Paul theApostle spent his timein prison composingletters to Christians infar-off lands — letters thatremain powerfully relevantin the modern world. Among San Quentin’sincarcerated walk anumber of incrediblytalented artists who havefound true inner … [Read More...]

Great art does indeed come from great suffering

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The coronavirus pandemic has proven the age-old adage In this edition of Wall City magazine, we take a look at the connection between the arts and rehabilitation. We pay homage to some of the incarcerated artists who left their mark on the world. There are myriad art forms that spring forth like water from the faucet of the human soul. The … [Read More...]

Female prisoners heal through art

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Mural project allows womento process abuse, trauma Incarcerated women in a South Carolina prison are learning to heal by using art to process past traumas, a recent story reports.  Inside the Leath Correctional Institution in Greenwood visiting room, a mural of butterflies has been painted on the wall. The mural tells the story of women … [Read More...]

Runa Ray partners with SQ artists

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A fashion designer/environmentalist returned to San Quentin in order to include the prison’s incarcerated population in the design of a gigantic flag to be displayed at the United Nations.  “I’m extremely honored to be on these grounds of San Quentin,” said Runa Ray at the Aug. 15 event aimed at bringing attention to climate change, justice … [Read More...]

North Carolina art show supports the incarcerated

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The artistic voices of the incarcerated were displayed in North Carolina recently, giving thanks to community organizations that support and advocate for prisoners’ successful reentry into society, according to The Raleigh ( N.C.) News and Observer.  An exhibit called “Something to Say” featured art from men in Orange Correctional Center, a … [Read More...]

Native artist’s generational pain poured out on canvas

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“Spiritually and mentally, art helps me escape from prison,” said Joseph “Jo-Joe” Salazar. “It is medicine to me. It is beautiful that my creator gifted me with this talent.”  Salazar plays the guitar, harmonica, and drums — abilities, he says, that have kept him going during his incarceration. Art is deeper than just passing time, Salazar … [Read More...]

Salvadorian artist’s patriotism flows in shades of blue

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Juan C. Sanchez, 28, uses blue ink to sketch portraits, classic cars and roses, on handkerchiefs.  “I really don’t remember when I started drawing. I know that I started doodling when I was in sixth grade— my thing was cartoons,” Sanchez said.  He said he became an artist in order to express what he was thinking.  While in high … [Read More...]

Mark Cadiz’s art honors San Quentin’s Covid deaths

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San Quentin News continues to find some of the many hidden treasures within these ancient walls.  That includes artists who create based on their own style and imagination, bringing them out of the shadows of incarceration and giving life to their craft.  “After my fever broke, I found the pencils, papers, crayons and comic books my … [Read More...]

Reggie Yates traces his African ancestry through his art

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San Quentin resident Reginald Yates embraces his ancestral roots by reviving some of the old traits of African tribal art. Some may dismiss this as misguided attention to an extinct culture — but not Yates, who refuses to let this hidden treasure vanish.  “I just get a pleasure (out) of exposing this art to people who may never saw … [Read More...]