Senior changes perception of prisoners through art show

Searle Slutzkin’s senior capstone project is all about giving back to the community — a community of prisoners from 16 states.

Slutzkin, originally from Johannesburg, said as a former victim of crime in his home country, he was eager to see how the justice system in the United States operated.

As a student in the Leadership, Ethics and Social Action Program, Slutzkin chose to volunteer with the Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project, a volunteer-based organization that seeks to promote self-education among prisoners by supplying free reading materials upon request.

“I chose Pages because I wanted something different,” Slutzkin said. “Behind bars is so different from the typical community setting.”

After seeing the impact MWPP has made on the prisoners who take part in the program, Slutzkin created his current art show, Prisoners on Paper. The show features artwork from prisoners who have received literary materials from the organization.

The show will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 15 at The Lodge, on Sixth and Walnut streets near Subway. Admission is free, but donating $5 or used or new books is suggested.

Slutzkin said he hopes the show will serve as an eye-opening experience for members of the Bloomington community. Through art, he plans to raise awareness about the incarceration system in the U.S.

“Some really want to help,” Slutzkin said. “Some come out of jail and become productive members of society.”

Visitors can expect to see artwork with a strong political focus, including pieces in a variety of nontraditional mediums, from napkins to dream catchers.

Slutzkin said each creation is a sign of what a prisoner is interested in, revealing a side that society might not have the chance to see.

One organization that supports the MWPP is Boxcar Books and Community Center, Inc., a nonprofit and volunteer-based bookstore located on East Sixth Street.

When people come to sell their books, they have the option to donate the ones Boxcar doesn’t have a need for to MWPP.

Taylor Dean, a volunteer at MWPP, said supporting prisoners through book donations is a very meaningful way to give.

“When you’re incarcerated for however long, I can’t imagine not having freedom, to be stuck in a cage all day,” Dean said. “These books are a way to remove them from their situation.”

Dean said dictionaries, thesauri and almanacs are the top three items prisoners request. Graduate Record Examination books are also in high demand for those who want to pursue their education while in prison.

Another component of the MWPP is its pen pal program, through which prisoners and volunteers communicate through letter writing.

“When they write in to us, they are so thankful,” Dean said. “I pass them (letters) on to my friends so they can see the impact this has.”