Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop Public Art Project

Though we have not yet completed the project evaluation process, early anecdotal accounts from incarcerated and formerly incarcerated artists confirm that they have felt empowered, validated, and affirmed by their roles in this project. They have also felt artistically validated, more connected to the broader literary community, and more meaningfully connected to MPWW.

Audience feedback so far has also been immensely positive, testifying that this project has introduced them to a diversity of voices and challenged their perceptions about the incarcerated community.; We have created and installed large- and small-scale decals and animated video adaptions based on the work of six incarcerated writers: B, Mark, Fong, Chris, David, Elizabeth. We worked with Monica Larson of SisterBlack Press on the decals, which were placed in prominent public places in the Twin Cities. We sent copies of small-scale decals to over 400 individuals. We worked with four video animators and an audio technician on audio/video adaptations, which we have shown at a large public event and also posted on our website. We have also worked with designer Christina Vang of La Bang! Studios on the accompanying handbook for this project, which was printed by Larson.

Evaluative surveys and anecdotal accounts from Editorial Board members and incarcerated artists confirm that they have felt empowered, validated, and affirmed by their roles in this project. They have also felt artistically validated, more connected to the broader literary community, and more meaningfully connected to MPWW.Audience feedback so far has also been immensely positive, testifying that this project has introduced them to a diversity of voices and challenged their perceptions about the incarcerated community.

In the spring of 2022, MPWW an Advisory Council(AC) of experienced incarcerated writers at Faribault Prison to determine what in-person courses would most appeal to them and their peers after a long, pandemic-caused hiatus in in-person classes. Collaboratively, we designed two courses, one at an introductory course intended to appeal to students who had never taken a writing class before, and the other at an intermediate level courses intended to meet the needs of more experienced writers and students. MPWW's Artistic Director, Jennifer Bowen, staffed both courses through MPWW's instructor pool. One course, an introductory class on speculative fiction, has concluded. The other, an intermediate poetry class focused on form, is currently being taught. The fiction instructor, Abbey Mae Otis, distributed evaluative surveys to gauge student growth and satisfaction. Overwhelmingly, students report that, as a result of their class, they had gained concrete craft skills, experienced improvement in mental health and mood, and felt less isolated and more connected to a broader artistic community. Bowen also distributed evaluative surveys to the Writers Collective Members, who reported feeling empowered by their role in the project and their ability to shape the programming options available in their communities.; In the spring of 2022, MPWW an Advisory Council(AC) of experienced incarcerated writers at Faribault Prison to determine what in-person courses would most appeal to them and their peers after a long, pandemic-caused hiatus in in-person classes. Collaboratively, we designed two courses, one at an introductory course intended to appeal to students who had never taken a writing class before, and the other at an intermediate level courses intended to meet the needs of more experienced writers and students.MPWW's Artistic Director, Jennifer Bowen, staffed both courses through MPWW's instructor pool. The two courses were an introductory speculative fiction class taught by Abbey Mae Otis and an intermediate poetry class focused on form taught by Michael Kleber-Diggs.

On their course evaluations, students overwhelmingly reported that, as a result of their class, they had gained concrete craft skills, experienced improvement in mental health and mood, and felt less isolated and more connected to a broader artistic community. Bowen also distributed evaluative surveys to the Writers Collective Members, who reported feeling empowered by their role in the project and their ability to shape the programming options available in their communities.