Boise Rotarian Sharing Love of Art with Inmates
I am a fine art humorist http://arthatmakesyoulaugh.com and have been a member of Boise Downtown Rotary since 2013. I enjoy our meetings very much and have found that:
I joined Rotary for business but got friends instead.
Very true.
The news I’d like to share is that Rotary has, for the first time in my life, caused me to want to be of service. Maybe it’s Boise, maybe it’s Rotary, who cares.
And being in committees was just not how I thought I could be of real service. I’m a creative, that’s how I can help. I’m at a time in my life when “giving back” has popped up on my screen.
So I looked around and got connected with Idaho State Prison system by chance. I have been teaching drawing to inmates since Sept. 2019 and have enjoyed it immensely.
I figured that inmates, although there are many good programs inside the system, could benefit from using their time and their talents in learning to draw. No, not huge ceiling murals but learning how to create images from photos, or life onto paper/canvas for their own pleasure. Just passing the time, which they have a lot of without anything else bombarding their brains, enjoying the creativity that we all have inside us.
I teach there every Tues. 1-4pm. It is my “give back” time.
I use a lot of humor in our classes because it lightens up the time together. Chuck Durrant out at ISCI (Education) has really facilitated my doing these classes and has bought all the art materials at Quality Art (Garden City) for the students. We have a beginner and intermediate class. Oddly, the intermediate class is much larger. And the thing that has impressed me is that they would not be there if they didn't want to.
Chuck makes a few rooms available each week for “practice” and allows them to finish any works still needing attention. And one of the inmates, a super guy named Tanner has been a fabulous helper/assistant with materials, name plates, and general all around facilitator. I feel very well supported.
At the end of the first season in November, we matted about 18 finished works and put them on display for the rest of the inmate population to enjoy. I’ve attached photos. Not too bad, eh?
For now I plan to do these classes via Zoom from my home studio, partially to protect myself from the growing virus- if it ever does hit the prison, it will spread like a , well, virus. Zoom is like Skype or FaceTime.
Recently, I applied for teaching at the Women’s facility and if I can work it out perhaps use Zoom with
them as well.
I feel the appreciation and respect of all these inmates. I know nothing of their “issues” and don’t get into it at all. None of my business. They know why I’m there. I am volunteering my time and talents to teach them a skill they will have for a lifetime. Not a profession, but a fulfilling skill. What kind of art they want to go into, is their choice.
And at the end of each session, some of them tell me, “Thank you for your time or thank you for doing this.” And often I reply, “Well my payback is seeing you enjoy what you’re doing and that you are getting better at it- the art looks pretty damn good.”
Wouldn’t you agree?
Respectfully submitted,
Jeff Leedy
Fine Art Humorist
If you have some educational project that you are interested in doing at the Correctional Facilities contact:
Chales (Chuck) Durrant can be reached at wdurrant@idoc.idaho.gov