Caged Creativity

Thursday, May 30, 1996

‘Sigan Luchando,’ the new Kerckhoff Art Gallery exhibit, offers
a striking testimonial to the resilience of the human spirit.
Sponsored by ‘La Gente,’ a UCLA news magazine, the show collects
the work of several Latino inmates housed in L.A.’s prisons. By
Cheryl Klein

Daily Bruin Contributor

From the numbing solitude of a cramped prison cell, an eagle
begins its flight.

The eagle, its dark eyes taking in every detail of the
surroundings, its massive wings spread proudly, is entirely the
creation of an inmate’s imagination and his ball-point pen.

This drawing and others created by prisoners will be on display
through June 7 at Kerckhoff Art Gallery. The exhibit, entitled
"Sigan Luchando," stems from a regular feature by the same name in
"La Gente," UCLA’s Latino newsmagazine.

Though the inmates’ subject matter varies, the medium is
primarily ball-point pen, and the art consistently proves that out
of the darkest conditions, the human spirit continues to shine.

As editor of "Sigan Luchando," Viviana Trujillo has learned a
lot about prison conditions from the inmates who send artwork and
poetry to "La Gente."

"The main tool used against them is trying to strip them of all
their cultural heritage and anything that will allow for them to
keep a grasp on their identity," she says of the Latino inmates.
"It’s easier for them to be controlled that way."

Trujillo cites the Pelican Bay facility as being one of the most
oppressive.

"You’re locked down 22 1/2 hours a day, no human contact,
solitary cells…Pelican Bay is being used as an example of the
prisons that will be built in the future. It’s like a concentration
camp, really."

"Isolation is the worst torture you can do for a human. It’s
like the beautiful things that children do while at war," Trujillo
says of the prisoners’ creations. "I could never justify war just
because beauty came out of it."

But while Trujullo is emphatic about the cruelties of the prison
system, she is also quick to describe the enlightenment many
inmates achieve while incarcerated. Many prisoners use their time
in solitary confinement to reflect on who they are and what led
them to their present state.

Often, this means going back to the ancient days of the Aztecs
and Mayans. The exhibit features drawings of tribal ancestors,
feathers, drums, horses, eagles and other indigenous symbols.
Trujillo explains that by relating to the warriors of the past,
they gain the strength to survive painful conditions.

"I was impressed by how much they know about Spanish history,"
says Art Gallery director Jonathan Molvik. "My favorite piece is
one that shows the whole history from Christopher Columbus and the
Aztecs to revolts in Mexico. It’s beautifully rendered."

The other side of their artwork, however, is more indicative of
the inmates’ personal communities.

"(It is) living the life," Trujillo says. "The low-rider cars,
the prison bars, the towers, the shotguns, the key holes. The sense
of being trapped, looking outside, being wired. Things that
represent loneliness."

In spite of their predicament, the prisoners hardly appear to
wallow in self pity. Instead, they try to act as examples for young
people.

"They’ll say it; ‘I did wrong, and I understand now why I
trapped myself in this situation and this is what I’m doing to
remedy the situation.’" Trujillo says. "(The inmates) focus on
trying to send positive messages to the younger people so that they
don’t fall in those same traps of society.

"And also they base it on their cultural heritage and say, ‘I
didn’t know who I was before. I didn’t have an identity. Now I have
a sense of culture and I need to learn. Please help me.’"

Many enter the prison system uneducated, not only about their
history, but even in matters of basic reading and writing. "La
Gente" provides reading material for the inmates and encourages
their intellectual endeavors.

Trujillo speaks with pride of one prisoner who first taught
himself to read and write and then went on to secretly pass an
essay assignment among other inmates as a means of overcoming the
forced lack of communication.

"I wrote to him and said, ‘You know, you remind me ­ there
was another brother who was at the same point where you’re at now
and his name was Malcolm X.’"

Over the years, "La Gente" has built a strong bond between its
staff, readers and incarcerated members of the Latino
community.

"The exhibit represents student outreach," Molvik says. "That’s
what I liked when I first heard about the project ­ the idea
of students working with prisoners. A lot of people don’t know
about the incredible art produced in prison." But Trujillo explains
that there is still much to overcome in public opinion of the
prison system. It is for this reason that "Sigan Luchando" doesn’t
reveal the crimes which the inmates are convicted of.

"We don’t focus on that because it tends to put a prejudice on
the side of the people who are receiving the information," Trujillo
says. "At this point they’re no loner participating in that and
they are, as a matter of fact, trying to do peaceful efforts within
the prisons."

Yesterday, their efforts extended beyond prison walls, as
several recently-released artists visited Kerckhoff to dispel
misconceptions and offer their insights about the criminal justice
system.

Trujillo emphasizes that learning about prisoners through art
and personal encounters can be a lesson about humanity.

"People don’t associate prisoners with being actual people
inside, who feel and believe and think … They are helping us by
sharing their messages, because experience is wisdom."

ART: "Sigan Luchando" will be at the Kerckhoff Art Gallery
through June 7.

WorK from ‘Sigan Luchando,’ the newest exhibit at the Kerckhoff
Art Gallery.