Poetry, Classical Literature, African American Literature, Art and the Mind, Multi-Media Art—these are a few of the courses offered to inmates at 12 correctional facilities throughout the state of Alabama. In conjunction with Auburn University in Alabama and the Caroline Marshall Draughton Center for the Arts & Humanities, theAlabama Prison Arts + Education Projectoffers prisoners courses in arts and humanities.
“Through it all, though, through every person who works to make the program possible, the most remarkable individuals are the students.”
The Alabama Prison Arts + Education Project is fueled by a dynamic and dedicated group of artists, writers and scholars who believe that knowledge and creative development can change someone’s life. As Kyes Stevens, Director of The Alabama Prison Arts + Education Project states, “Through it all, though, through every person who works to make the program possible, the most remarkable individuals are the students.”
The Alabama Prison Arts + Education Project began in 2002 and at that time was called the Alabama Prison Arts Initiative. First funding for this project was provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. Working with the Center for the Arts & Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University, and the Caroline Marshall Draughton Center for the Arts & Humanities, the name changed in 2004 to The Alabama Prison Arts + Education Project.
The goals of theAlabama Prison Arts + Education Project have always been to place rich creative and intellectual opportunities into Alabama’s prisons, a remarkably underserved population.
In addition to the Liberal Arts program, the Alabama Prison Arts + Education Project works with 19 different correctional facilities to build their libraries through the Books Behind Bars program. Books are donated by individuals to not only help provide quality literature and educational materials to inmate/students, but to the entire prison population.
Many of the students artistic endeavors are showcased through the traveling art exhibit “Art on the Inside,” where the work is available at public exhibitions.
More About the Alabama Prison Arts + Education Project
Developed by Auburn University, the Alabama Prison Arts + Education Project (APAEP) is committed to providing educational access and opportunities to prisoners in Alabama’s prisons. By helping prisoners reconnect with learning aspirations, the program believes it can help prisoners embrace education and transform their lives positively for the rest of their lives. The program delivers “educational experiences in the arts, humanities, hard sciences, and human sciences.” These courses have the potential to profoundly help prisoners redirect their perspectives about their pasts as well as their future lives.
Image courtesy csmonitor.com
Coursework and ‘An Air of Purpose’
The program’s website reports that one prison warden could easily tell which inmates were involved with the program by their “air of purpose.” This in itself is one of the program’s great benefits. APAEP delivers a wide array of courses that provide intellectual stimulation and, of course, provide the inmates with an Auburn University transcript of completed coursework. Although the program is not designed as a degree-track initiative, the participating prisoners are delighted to have college-level coursework under their belts. Having this college experience behind them is often the catalyst they need to continue their education post-prison.
The program offers many different type of classes including “American Literature,” “Creative Writing,” “Southern Literature,” “Hunger Studies,” and “Intro to Engineering” to name just a few. Moreover, courses change periodically so there are frequently new offerings. Unlike so many other higher education programs, APAEP is unique in that there are no previous educational requirements–only the “desire to learn.” This decided lack of formality is most attractive to prisoners who come to the program with varied and patchy educational backgrounds. The courses are introductory college courses and run for about fourteen weeks.
Replacing that formality is a fundamental understanding of what prisoners bring with them to the table. In Alabama, 65% of the inmates do not have high school diplomas. Therefore, the courses invariably offer students a new view of what education can mean for them. Since so many offerings celebrate the arts, they invite students to think critically about themselves and their own desire to embrace new learning paradigms. Certainly in the ‘real’ world items like diplomas and GEDs are important, but these classes give inmates the foundation they need to move forward. They also give prisoners the self-confidence to tackle life-long learning.
The Educators
Many APAEP instructors are university faculty as well as graduates of the university. The program also relies on many student assistants to facilitate various program aspects. In addition to regular staff, the program invites many poets, artists, and guest speakers to provide insightful seminars, workshops, and lectures. Although their job is at its base to inspire a desire to learn among their prisoner-students, they often find that they do gain new-found inspiration as they appreciate the milestones that their students are capable of making in a short period of time. Ultimately, educational programs like these are about helping people that do, quite desperately, need help to turn their lives around. Therefore, participating in this program as either a student or teacher has had a profoundly positive effect on many.
Published Jan 16, 2013 by Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA | Last Updated by Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA on Oct 24, 2021 at 10:40 am
