Pat Maloney, 75, has been teaching art at San Quentin for more than 25 years.
Maloney spent the first three years of his career at San Quentin interacting exclusively with the men on Death Row.
It was horrifying to know the guys on the row have a limited possibility with their future,” Maloney said. For those on Death Row who spend most of their days in a cell, Maloney’s art classes create a new possibility.
For nine years afterwards, he split his time between working with those men and those on the Main Line through a program called Arts in Corrections. When the program was scrapped due to state-imposed budget cuts in 2010, Maloney began volunteering to teach artists on the Main Line.
Maloney’s impact can be felt by talking with those who took his class, and in a mural expected to go up in the North Dining Hall. Maloney began facilitating the painting of the mural in mid-July, but has had to scale back the amount of time he spends at San Quentin and on the project due to family concerns. Still, Maloney said he has enjoyed working at San Quentin.
“I’ve seen San Quentin change over the years . Initially, I was glad to come here for the work, but then I found I was comfortable here,” Maloney said. “The prisoners here are so appreciative of the whole art process.”
Maloney began his artistic career as an illustrator in Houston, Texas, soon after he graduated with a bachelor’s degree from San Jose State University. He eventually moved back to California and settled in Marin County [[timeline]]. Since then, Maloney has worked on projects for Marine World in North Beach, Wells Fargo and Sesame Street.
“I even worked as a text book artist for a while, but I didn’t enjoy illustrating mundane things like beans,” Maloney said.
Other pieces of his artwork have been showcased at the Haines Gallery in San Francisco, and funded by organizations including the Marin Arts Council.
Most of his work at San Quentin has been funded by the William James Association , which began funding the arts program shortly after it was cut from the state budget.
“[Teaching art] has not always been the easiest, but it has been rewarding talking about art and talking to people who care about the process,” he said.
Still, age is catching up to Maloney and though he plans to keep teaching his art class on Saturday mornings, a day may come when he will no longer be able to teach at San Quentin. Teaching art has allowed Maloney to identify with his students, and form a relationship that continues beyond the classroom, he said.
“Through art I have come to get to know the guys,” Maloney said, “we share that connection.”
Samples of Maloney’s art can be viewed on his website, www.patmaloneyart.com.
