Projects
Book Discussions
In the spirit of the “Common Readings” on the UO campus, which encourage a broad swath of the students and faculty on campus to read and discuss the same book, the Prison Education Program engages in periodic reading and discussion efforts in the prisons. We hold book discussions that involve a mixed group of people in the prisons, folks from campus, and members of the community. The discussions are an opportunity both to analyze the book and to explore broader themes.
Some past book discussions include Cannery Row by John Steinbeck, Ishmael by David Quinn, Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, and a bilingual Spanish/English discussion of The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.
Club Events
The Oregon State Penitentiary has several clubs run by inside leaders that provide community, run charity drives for outside organizations, collaborate to bring volunteers inside the prisons, and host events. The PEP is regularly invited to coordinate with the clubs, sometimes to provide specific lectures or book discussions, but most often to bring related student groups from the UO campus for programs inside. That has included the Toastmasters club with UO Debate and the Black Male Alliance with Uhuru Sasa.
Workshops and Guest Speakers
Academic workshops are provided by UO faculty and PEP interns, and are designed both for students already participating in college-level courses as well as for a broader range of incarcerated individuals.
People who are incarcerated in Oregon do not have internet access. This means that there are very few avenues for people to pursue information or gain new perspectives. Workshops allow a chance for people to ask questions and engage with new viewpoints.
Feedback about these workshops has been overwhelmingly positive, both from the participants and from various staff at the institutions. This is a chance for people to broaden their skills and to engage with educational programing. We have heard from participants who previously felt that they weren’t “smart” or “college material,” and that these have encouraged them to engage further. For others, this is a rare material to engage in intellectual curiosity and discussions with the outside folks.
If you are a faculty member and you are interested in helping with future academic workshops, please contact us.
LEAP (Learning, Engagement, and Activities Packets) provides learning and correspondence opportunities for people in segregated housing units (including disciplinary housing units / solitary). LEAP packets are designed to serve people who cannot attend classes, workshops, or book discussions in person. Our trauma-informed curriculum offers resources for readers to actualize the abilities they possess and explore new areas of healing and growth. To our knowledge, we are the first program to develop this level of content that engages the “full student” and gives an opportunity to engage with a wide variety of ideas and respond to a faculty member who will comment on their responses.
This program is in pilot phase as of Summer 2021, with plans to expand with the help of The Andrew Mellon Foundation.
Throughout the years, Inside-Out students have completed their classes and have asked “what’s next?” These programs are a partial answer to that question. Note: For these projects, “alumni” refers to current UO students who have completed an Inside-Out class.
These programs are currently on hold due to Covid-19. We will update this page with more information as it becomes available
Side-by-Side
Side-by-Side is a program that provides learning opportunities, campus tours, and workshops for “at-risk” youth (recognizing that “at-risk” is a complex categorization).
Activities focus on community building, honest conversation, goal setting, and more – all at the aim of fostering a positive and inclusive environment. Side-by-Side was envisioned and requested by RISE UP!, a program designed and run by incarcerated men at Oregon State Penitentiary, which inspires youth to use positive decision-making skills instead of scaring them away from bad choices. After a RISE UP! event, Side-by-Side offers the young people a chance to engage in dynamic workshops, discussions, and activities at the University of Oregon campus .
RISE-UP was created and led by people who work extremely hard to make a positive difference while incarcerated. Side-by-Side is one of the greatest examples of what the Prison Education Program can do–we can respond to existing needs by partnering with organizations led by people who are incarcerated, and who therefore have incredible insights and experience.
At this time, RISE UP! is not holding youth panels, so Side-by-Side is reaching out directly to schools, youth organizations, and other groups to invite young people to participate in group activities and workshops.
Discovery Group
Discovery Group is run by Inside-Out alumni at the University of Oregon and partners with the John Serbu Youth Campus Detention Center. Once a week, a small group of University of Oregon students goes to Serbu for engaging educational projects with youth incarcerated there. The program has evolved through the years – sometimes the group reads and discusses short stories, sometimes the discussions have been on topics suggested by the youth. Through this process, Discovery Group hopes to help youth feel empowered in their pursuit of education while incarcerated.
Other Alumni Events
In the past, students have held a variety of one-time or ongoing projects and events on campus and in the community. These have included movie screenings, tutoring programs, guest speakers, and classroom visits. As student interests and energy shift over time, these projects grow and change as well.
Access to books can be a lifeline for people who are incarcerated. Over the years we have collected books to donate to libraries at institutions across Oregon. During the pandemic, we increased our efforts and sent hundreds of books to seven institutions, including answering requests for specific topics needed.
If you would like to donate books, please contact us for more information.
Frequent requested topics are:
- Books in Spanish (any topics)
- Language learning – multiple languages requested
- Personal finance
Showcasing the talents and vision of artists who are incarcerated. This was originally envisioned in ACE, with leadership from people who were artists themselves and also knew that there were limited venues for people to share their talents with the world.
2024 Art Exhibition: Hope: A Human Right
Hope: A Human Right was the theme for our 2024 EMU art show. Art created by individuals inside the state’s penitentiaries and by those released from incarceration was displayed in the Adell McMillan Gallery in the Erb Memorial Union on UO’s campus during winter term. We collected and sent feedback to the artists and you may continue to do so through the Artist Feeback link on each piece featured below.
Additionally, our gallery, themed Emergence is on display in downtown Eugene until April 30th. Stop by the Midtown Arts Center to see more art and purchase selected pieces and prints. Additionally, we will be involved in the Eugene 1st Friday Art Walk on April 5th from 5:30-8pm.
Show Statement:
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Resonance [ˈrezənəns] NOUN
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Since its origins, humanity has had an obsession with being heard. The very creation of language is indicative of this desire—an unwillingness to let the emphatic beauty and creativity of the human soul remain silent. In this way, the name Resonance is emblematic of a furthering of this innate human desire. A reverberating exhibit of the human propensity for voice and creativity.
Resonance is a creative exhibition of the visual artwork created by over twenty artists who are incarcerated in prisons across the state of Oregon. In recognition of the remarkable talents of these artists, the University of Oregon Prison Education Program and the Visual Arts Team have worked in conjunction to exhibit their work to the outside world.
Click here for more information
2020
We planned to expand to two partner art shows in 2020: one Inside exhibition at Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP), and one Outside exhibition that would bring a selection of works from the previous show to campus. The Inside event was co-organized by interns and our inside leaders on ACE, and offered currently incarcerated artists the opportunity to share in the celebration of their work in person. The Inside show was incredibly successful with over 50 currently incarcerated participants coming together to either share their work or celebrate the talents of their peers alongside multiple artists from the outside community.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic halted the project prior to the exhibition on campus. We are very grateful for the chance we did have to engage with the gifts of all of the artists through this project and look forward to the opportunity to properly honor their talents in the future.
2019
In the spring of 2019, the UO Prison Education Program had the pleasure of featuring art by twenty incarcerated artists from Oregon in the exhibition Emergence: Art from Inside at the Adell McMillan Gallery in the EMU Student Union in collaboration with the UO Visual Arts Team. This project was an innovative expansion of our goal to support students in their effort to learn, lead, and contribute to the wider community. The emergence of the talents of incarcerated artists into the space of higher education in this manner gave these artists a chance to show the community what art making means to them. Showcasing the work of incarcerated students on campus also provides a unique opportunity to put currently incarcerated students in dialogue with campus-based students and faculty through the medium of visual arts.
