While the inmates at Siskiyou County Jail say they have enjoyed participating in a 10-week pilot art class, funded by the California Lawyers for the Arts, Siskiyou County Sheriff Jon Lopey hopes the voluntary classes are helping to channel the inmates’ creativity in a positive direction.

By Skye Kinkade

YREKA – The inmates concentrate on the snow-white sheets of paper in front of them, intent on making Christmas cards for loved ones at home. Others opt to free draw with a variety of art supplies including pastels, colored pencils, Sharpies and felt pens.

While the inmates at Siskiyou County Jail say they have enjoyed participating in a 10-week pilot art class, funded by the California Lawyers for the Arts, Siskiyou County Sheriff Jon Lopey hopes the voluntary classes are helping to channel the inmates’ creativity in a positive direction.

James Cordova, age 34, said the class is a way to escape – if just for an hour each week – from the monotony of jail life.

“Back in the cells, or in the dorm, you think about a lot of things, and you think about what you can put down on paper next week,” he said.

Cordova, a Weed resident, has been an inmate at Siskiyou County Jail for about four months. He goes to trial in March, so he doesn’t know how long his stay might be.

Though he’s always been interested in art, Cordova said he’s learned a lot from teacher Mark Oliver and has discovered that “anything can be inspiration.”

“You don’t have to be good at art to be an artist,” Cordova said. “I learned you don’t need to worry about what’s going on the paper. It will be something in the end.”

Some of Oliver’s assignments over the past 10 weeks include the creation of each inmate’s own monument, as well as a flag that represents them. They were also challenged to create a picture of their future.

The class is a pilot for the statewide Arts-in-Corrections project, explained Siskiyou County Arts Council’s executive director Lugene Whitley. The California Lawyers for the Arts provided funding to the SCAC to contract with Oliver, who visits the jail weekly and oversees the program.

Siskiyou County is one of 16 jails participating in the program this year, said Lopey.

Oliver has taught art at the high school and college level, but never before in a corrections facility. He said he’s been impressed with the work ethic of the students.

“As an instructor, this is a dream group,” Oliver said, motioning toward the table where eight inmates all worked quietly on their respective projects. “They’re all intent on their work. I give the assignment and they go for it.”

“It’s difficult to be incarcerated and these kinds of programs help inmates,” said Lopey. “In class, they’re positively engaged in a fruitful, enriching way. It gives them a reason to interact with staff, their teacher and other inmates, and they’re developing skills that are beneficial in the outside world. Opportunities like this make their lives better.”

Oliver said he is interested in continuing the class and plans to help the SCAC and the jail search for funding sources.

In addition to the jail project, in July the SCAC received $18,000 in grant funds from the California Arts Council to implement a “Reentry through the Arts: Gateway to New Beginnings” nine-month art program at the Day Reporting Center in Yreka. This program serves inmates who are serving alternative sentences away from the jail.

“We’re halfway through that program and will apply for CAC grant support to continue” next year, Whitley said.

“I hope they keep it going,” said Cordova. “It’s great for everyone. I feel privileged to participate.”