‘On the Inside: Art and Stories by Incarcerated Women

TULSA, Okla. -- The Oklahoma Center for Humanities and Poetic Justice will host an art exhibit called, “On the Inside: Art and Stories by Incarcerated Women.”

The gallery near East Archer Street and North Boston Avenue will be closed to the public on Thursday, July 6 as the DOC, Poetic Justice, and 13 women from Dr. Eddie Warrior Correctional Center have been invited to the event. 

Oklahoma is one of the worst states in the nation for female incarceration. 106 out of every 100,000 women are incarcerated. 

The project was curated by Lisa Lotus and Ellen Stackable and they say that the women whose artwork will be featured “will tell a complex story of violence, anger, hope, and humanity.”

“The exhibit is a look at incarceration in both Oklahoma and California. ,” said Alex Isaak, Special Projects Coordinator of the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities. “Lisa Loftus is a photographer based in San Diego. Because cameras are not permitted in Oklahoma prisons, Ellen Stackable led art workshops so women could create self-portraits using other media. There’s more poetry, as well as painting and colored pencil on canvas, collages, sculptures, sound, and more.”

Poetic Justice has been bringing art, music and writing classes to prisons in Oklahoma, Mexico and California since March 2014. Over 4,000 people have participated in Poetic Justice artistic workshops and 600 volunteers have served in the programs. Its mission is to give incarcerated individuals a voice, and hope and to empower change in their humanity.