PRISON PROJECT ARCHIVE

The Prison Project Archive is the material collection reflecting Barrios Unidos efforts for cultural healing and social justice- transcending prison walls and establishing community with those locked behind bars. Spanning from 1980’s to the present day, the archival collection of art and other creative works grew organically. People inside prisons impacted by SCBU’s cultural education classes and other outreach began to ask for references and materials for art making. In response, the art correspondence program was born, with staff and interns at SCBU answering hundreds of letters yearly from artists inside, supplying reference images, research, and other support for their creative works. In response, the artists send their intricate drawings (sometimes colored with coffee and kool aid, revealing the creative tenacity of people denied access to basic artmaking materials) back to SCBU.