Arts, Family, Community: Part 1

To celebrate creative endeavors at the prison, the GCI deputy warden and director of recreational activities collaborated with arts facilitators volunteering within the prison to host the first ever “Arts Gala.” The groups—OMAG Choir, OStrings, Poetry, and Visual Arts— presented a two-day event, the first performance date for the residents’ families/friends and the second for community members from Oberlin, other universities, and prison administration. Following the performance for family members, the residents shared catered boxed meals with their family/friend visitors while being treated by two student performers from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music (a guitarist and a vocalist).

I struggle to find appropriate words to convey the profundity of these two days and the impact they had on me (and from the residents’ commentary, on them too!). The artists were focused and eager to share the fruits of their diligent practice. This event marked the inaugural performance of OStrings and the first OMAG Choir v.2 performance at the GCI. OStrings featured songs from the first Suzuki Book, along with duets and quartets that played music arranged by residents. The OMAG Choir sang a potpourri of songs, including “Lean on Me” in which the audience was asked to sing along. An anteroom was transformed into a visual arts gallery, full of colorful artistic representations and crafts. The Poetry group performed their crafted words. The room was packed each evening with visitors, eager to witness the reason for their invitation to attend. The artists “performed” to an appreciative and engaged audience who clapped along, sang along, moved along, and commented along. The residents’ pride was palpable. Emotions were running high…everyone was joy-full. The artistic offering provided a platform in which prison staff, administration, family, friends, community members, and artists seemed to be interacting with each other on a less hierarchical, interpersonal plane. The families were proud of their son, husband, boyfriend, uncle, brother. The residents were proud of their artistic accomplishments and offerings. I was in awe of the energy and focus the residents brought to their musicianship. The prison administration expressed their pleasure and shared their positive comments with the residents. If even for 90 minutes on two separate evenings, the arts allowed us to freely experience our creative individual and community heart and spirit selves.