Driven by hunger, the need for means to survive inside a prison walls gave life to innovation and creativity displayed in hidden gems of art.
In 2015, California sent Moises Ramos and many other prisoners to Arizona because of overcrowding in CDCR facilities.
He had left his family and loved ones and did not have the means even to purchase ramen soup.
“Me and my bunky decided that we needed to find a way to earn some money to bring food to the cell,” said Ramos. “It those days we didn’t even have a pencil, paper, or a PIN number for us to call our family; we were disconnected from the outside world.”
At the time the artist first came into prison, he knew that he had a creative imagination, but he had never paid much attention to it. He said he liked to encourage others to listen to the creative voices in their heads and to use them for something positive, such as painting, drawing, arts and crafts, music, or any other form of art.
As a student, Ramos started working with cardboard boxes from lunches, turning them into jewelry boxes. At that point, he had discovered his talent for three-dimensional art. His process of constructing a jewelry box took about six hours and involved gluing rolled newspapers, using state-issued soap and floor wax as the main ingredients.
No one wanted to buy the jewelry boxes, but only because no one could afford them because of a shortage of food.
Ramos recalled the tiny size of the Arizona meal portions, compared to the portions served by the CDCR. He credited those dark days as the guide that has since turned into the fruit of prosperity.
Ramos says his then-roommate Jesus Rios encouraged him to turn even more creative.
At that point, the artisan created a sketch of a sailboat that later turned into the foundation of his many constructions.
According to the master-builder of model square-rigger sailboats, his art constructions had turned tricky. He called the base of the boat one of the hardest items to construct and to keep together. Even worse, he only had inadequate gluing materials to work with.
The gifted artisan designed sailboats with logos of football and soccer teams and personal mascots that other incarcerated residents wanted to send to their families.
Overcoming all the hurdles, he used discarded newspapers and cardboard lunchboxes to create the base for the square-rigger boats. He has since acquired glue, paint, and cardstock from outside vendor Walkenhorst.
“My imagination helps me build pirate ships, sailboats, yachts, and fishing boats,” said Ramos. “My dad challenged me to make him a Ford truck and I allowed my imagination to take over in creating this beautiful F150 for my dad.”
Building these boats has helped him to learn about patience, to concentrate, to think positively, he said, adding that it would take him away from his incarceration.
He credited his hobby as a tool to decompress so not to feel overwhelmed by life behind bars. His art even made it possible to help his family financially, which he said he considered very important.
“With this new California Model, I would love for CDCR to approve a hobby craft program at SQRC,” said Ramos. “It’d be beneficial throughout my incarceration and upon my release. This could be another way to improve public safety.”
According to the artist, whenever incarcerated persons use personal energy in a positive way, it helps them to break away from criminal thinking that led to their criminal behavior.
During the interview, Ramos discussed his unique ability to play an instrument. He said he plays keyboard and performs as the lead singer of his group Unique Element, which has performed here at SQRC.
