California. Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Arts-in-Corrections Records., 1977-2010

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Summary

Creators:
Arts-in-Corrections, Artsreach, Bowers, Jack, Carlson, James R., Hesemeyer, Jeffery J., Newborg, Carol, Petersen, William, and William James Association
Extent:
69.2 linear ft. (160 document boxes, 4 half document boxes, 4 oversize boxes)
Language:
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], California. Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Arts-in-Corrections Records (University Archives Record Series 721). UCLA Library Special Collections, University Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

The Arts in Corrections Records consists of administrative, financial, and instructional records; documentation of works of art; publications; news clippings; research materials; and institutional arts-related resources collected by Arts in Corrections, its contractual partners, Artsreach and the William James Association, and individual artist facilitators. The collection also contains the general administrative records of Artsreach and records of its collaborations with other constituents such as the California Youth Authority, the Exceptional Children's Foundation, and 4-H Youth Development Organization, among others. Files have been divided into series according to the originating entity and into subseries according to primary genres as interpreted by the collection processor. Folder titles have been maintained from their original titles if provided by the originating entity and noted as such in the corresponding descriptions. Titles on audiovisual materials such as videocassettes and cassette tapes were transferred from the original labels, but contents have not been verified.

The following acronyms and initialisms are frequently used in this collection:

    • AIC-Arts in Corrections
    • BCP-Budget change proposal
    • CAC-California Arts Council
    • CDC-California Department of Corrections
    • CDCR-California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
    • CRD-Community Resources Development division of the California Department of Corrections
    • CYA-California Youth Authority
    • Artsreach ECF-Artsreach Exceptional Children's Foundation
    • EIPU-Education and Inmate Program Unit
    • IAF-Institutional artist facilitator
    • NEA-National Endowment for the Arts
    • PAP-Prison Arts Project
    • PAN-Prison Arts Network
    • Project CULTURE-Project Creative Use of Leisure Time Under Restrictive Environments
    • QAP-Qualifying Artists Panel
    • UCLA Extension-University of California, Los Angeles, Adult Continuing Education
    • WJA-William James Association
  • California's Correctional and Rehabilitation Institutions
    • Name of Institution (Acronym) - Location
    • Avenal State Prison (ASP) - Avenal
    • California Correctional Center (CCC) - Susanville
    • California Correctional Institution (CCI) - Tehachapi
    • California Institution for Men (CIM) - Chino
    • California Institution for Women (CIW) - Corona
    • California Medical Facility (CMF) - Vacaville
    • California Men's Colony (CMC) - San Luis Obispo
    • California Rehabilitation Center (CRC) - Norco
    • California State Prison, Corcoran (COR) - Corcoran
    • California State Prison, Los Angeles County (LAC) - Lancaster
    • California State Prison, Sacramento (SAC) - Represa
    • California State Prison, Solano (SOL) - Vacaville
    • California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility (SATF) - Corcoran
    • Calipatria State Prison (CAL) - Calipatria
    • Centinela State Prison (CEN) - Imperial
    • Central California Women's Facility (CCWF) - Chowchilla
    • Chuckawalla Valley State Prison (CVSP) - Blythe
    • Correctional Training Facility (CFT) - Soledad
    • Deuel Vocational Institution (DVI) - Tracy
    • Folsom State Prison (FOL) - Represa
    • High Desert State Prison (HDSP) - Susanville
    • Ironwood State Prison (ISP) - Blythe
    • Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP) - Delano
    • Mule Creek State Prison (MCSP) - Ione
    • North Kern State Prison (NKSP) - Delano
    • Northern California Women's Facility, re-entry facility (NCWF) - Stockton
    • Pelican Bay State Prison (PBSP) - Crescent City
    • Pleasant Valley State Prison (PVSP) - Coalinga
    • R. J. Donovan Correctional Facility at Rock Mountain (RJD) - San Diego
    • Salinas Valley State Prison (HDSP) - Soledad
    • San Quentin State Prison (SQ) - San Quentin
    • Sierra Conservation Center (SCC) - Jamestown
    • Valley State Prison for Women (VSPW) - Chowchilla
    • Wasco State Prison (WSP) - Wasco

Biographical / historical:

Arts-in-Corrections was a unit within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation that contracted with independent community service organizations and professional artists to provide arts programs within correctional institutions. The program began as the pilot Prison Arts Project at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, CA in 1977 with funding provided by the California Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, the San Francisco Foundation, and the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration. The success of this initial program led to the Legislature appropriating $400,000 to augment the 1981 Department of Corrections budget, establishing the Arts in Corrections unit within the department's Office of Community Resources Development.

The Arts in Corrections budget initially funded a program manager, six full-time civil service artist facilitators, and contracts with professional artists as well as community arts organizations, and monies for supplies, equipment, and facilities. Over the next three decades following the program inception, the William James Association and Artsreach (UCLA Extension) partnered with Arts in Corrections to manage the hiring, artist residency design and training, as well as the implementation and evaluation of the arts programs. Professional artists provided instruction in painting, drawing, sculpture, murals, photography, poetry, creative writing, theater, and music. The William James Association and Artsreach also sponsored state-wide competitions and exhibitions outside of the walls of the institutions.

By the 1990s, Arts in Corrections had fully operational studios and placed on-site arts professionals as staff in every state correctional and rehabilitation institution in California, becoming the largest institutionally-based arts program in the United States. Due to the state's budget crisis, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation terminated artist facilitator positions at each of the institutions, concurrently eliminating the Arts in Corrections program in January 2010.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Susan Hill, Artsreach, 2006, 2010 William James Association, 2009 Jack Bowers, 2009 James R. Carlson, 2009 William Cleveland, 2009 William Petersen, 2009 Carol Newborg, 2010
Arrangement:

Arranged in the following series:

  1. William James Association
    1. Administrative records
    2. Works of art and creative writing
    3. Competitions and exhibitions
    4. Newsletters, clippings, ephemera
    5. William James Association Library
  2. Administration of program
    1. Administrative records
    2. Financial records
    3. Works of art, publications, exhibitions
    4. Newsletters, clippings, research
    5. William Cleveland records
  3. Artsreach
    1. Administrative records
    2. Arts in Corrections
    3. Programs for youth
    4. Research and resources
  4. Artist Facilitators
    1. Jack Bowers
    2. James R. Carlson
    3. Jeffrey J. Hesemeyer
    4. Carol Newborg
    5. William Petersen

Access and use

Restrictions:

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.

EXCEPTION: Box 73 containing personnel files and identifying information of volunteers, mentors, and artist facilitator has been restricted.

Terms of access:

Copyright has not been assigned to the UCLA University Archives. All requests for permission to publish or quote from the records must be submitted in writing to the University Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the UCLA University Archives as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], California. Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Arts-in-Corrections Records (University Archives Record Series 721). UCLA Library Special Collections, University Archives.

Location of this collection:
A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
Contact:
310-825-4988
AskLSC@library.ucla.edu
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