Arts in Corrections -

Alex Gallardo

Arts in Corrections

Arts in Corrections (AIC) is a partnership between the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and the California Arts Council (CAC). CAC offers grant opportunities for organizations to compete for funding through proposals of their AIC programing. The Arts Council of Kern is among the recipients or grantees for funding the AIC programing. This grant funds classes within institutions here in the Central Valley.

In this painting class, instructor Alex Gallardo led some students in a step-by-step exercise, while others worked on individual projects.

The Arts Council of Kern has been working with incarcerated communities in the central valley for over 15 years.

AIC is designed to prepare incarcerated individuals’ success upon release, enhance rehabilitative goals, and improve the safety and environment of CDCR institutions. Such programming enhances the participant’s life, focusing on diversity, equity, trust, and inclusion while centering healing and impact understanding within communities inside and outside the institutions.

ACK provides regular classes on a diverse array of subjects that include visual, media, performing, and multidisciplinary arts. Offering creative outlets help incarcerated individuals with problem-solving skills and provides coping mechanisms that reduce the impacts of stress and trauma. Involvement in the program directly affects one’s growth as they engage in such activities as outlined: group sessions, dance, poetry, learning instruments, learning new art forms, and sharing their work with their families and or communities.

Involvement in the program directly affects one’s growth as they engage in such activities as outlined: group sessions, dance, poetry, learning instruments, learning new art forms, and sharing their work with their families and or communities.

AIC is designed to prepare incarcerated individuals’ success upon release, enhance rehabilitative goals, and improve the safety and environment of CDCR institutions.

Such programing enhances the participant’s life, focusing on diversity, equity, trust, and inclusion while centering healing and impact understanding within communities both inside & outside of the institutions. ACK provides regular classes on a diverse array of subjects that include visual, media, performing, and multidisciplinary arts. Offering creative outlets help incarcerated individuals with problem-solving skills and provides coping mechanisms that reduce the impacts of stress and trauma.

AIC

The main goal of AIC is to reduce recidivism which is basically lowering the chances of people reoffending and going back to prison. This directly effects the community in which many participants are a part of in so many ways.

ACK is focusing on continuing providing classes to institutions as well as bridging this communication gap by providing more opportunities for the public to view and get involved with such positive programs. Many communities are affected by incarceration, community events would give a sense of connection between incarcerated people and the outside community. We plan to expand services ensuring that more institutions and participants can experience the transformative benefits of the arts.

AIC Student

Alex Gallardo

AIC Project Manager

“One thing I would like our community to remember is that many of the people that take these classes are not all incarcerated for violent crimes but have many unfortunate stories. With the many different artforms there are, Arts in Corrections has such a positive healing effect on people’s lives which is transformative. These classes help in many positive ways our community needs. If we heal each other, we grow together as a supportive inclusive community.”

CHANGE IS POSSIBLE

Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist.

—René Magritte

Alex Gallardo