A group of San Quentin inmates has pushed the limits of how art may be defined. Participants of the San Quentin Prison Report Archive Project took archived photos of San Quentin’s past and added commentary. Their unique results were on display at the Haines Gallery in San Francisco from Sept. 4 through Nov. 1.
Artist Nigel Poor, along with Shadeed Wallace-Stepner, Managing Editor of the SQPR Archive Project, headed up the endeavor, which began on Oct. 15, 2012. The project had its origins in an assignment Poor developed, with her co-instructor Doug Dertinger, for a class on art appreciation of photography. “We tried to develop a project where the men could create without actually taking photographs,” commented Poor.
Poor and Dertinger normally teach a class at the University of California, Sacramento, but teaching in prison did not allow them to assign students to take their own photographs. So they turned the hindrance into the catalyst for a new art form.
The show at the Haines Gallery comprised three parts. One part of the exhibit was reproductions from the photographic archives of San Quentin. The second part was photos from a class assignment in which the San Quentin students wrote commentaries on reproductions of photographs from famous artists. The third part was the final result of the SQPR Archive Project that included the work of Wallace-Stepter, George “Mesro” Coles, Kevin Tindall, Harold Meeks, Ruben Ramirez and Tommy “Shakur” Ross.
The prison archive photographs were mostly violent scenes taken by correctional officers on clunky old cameras. These photos became more interesting over time, said Poor. “The men in prison make these photographs art by placing their experiences on the dry images of the archives,” she added.
Poor, an artist who works in the medium of photography, has had success showing her work in museums and galleries throughout the country. “I see myself as a facilitator, archivist and a collaborator,” she said. “It is our project, not mine. We couldn’t do it without each other.”
Poor noted that there has been a long history of photographers working with archives and re-appropriating them, but the SQPR Archive Project is unique.
The photographs in the archive document all aspects of life in San Quentin, not just the violence. “For someone doing time we forget we are living in here. I look at the photos as part of life. My perception comes from what I lived through,” says Wallace-Stepter.
Poor commented that she likes to think that the project allowed the men to have some control of their individual experiences in prison by adding their thoughts and commentary to the photos.
“People are fascinated by the writing of the men,” said Poor.
“When I see violent images it gives me the opportunity to explore my thoughts and feelings surrounding the incidents,” said Wallace-Stepter, adding, “I usually don’t have these opportunities.”
Poor said, “These thoughts and feelings are what adds complexity and nuance to the image.”
“To give a true representation to the image, I have to be honest,” explained Wallace-Stepter.
Poor said she is amazed by the way the men are able to look at some horrible imagery and describe it in a respectful manner.
She has a theory on why the men in the project are so good at adding interesting commentary to the photographs. “In prison in order to survive, it helps an individual to be able to pick up on details or non-verbal cues. In photographs to really see what is there, you have to do the same. The guys in here are really good at that.”
Wallace-Stepter validated this statement by saying, “Being in tune with my feelings and intuition has helped me survive in here.”
The SQPR Archive Project has combined history and personal commentary to create a new art form unique to San Quentin.
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