Amador County, CA - October 9, 2009 -- Amazing works of art,
pottery pieces, and woodcrafts made by inmates at Mule Creek State Prison will
be displayed at the 21st annual Inside/Out art show and sale. This year’s show
is slated for only one day, Saturday, Nov. 7th at the prison on Highway 104
outside Ione. The show, which benefits Operation Care, is open from 9
a.m. to 4 p.m. Art collectors and visitors can enter the gate and follow signs
to the cafeteria where the show will be held. All visitors are asked to avoid
wearing blue jeans.
Because the showroom has limited space and the items sell
very fast, visitors arriving at 9:00 a.m. will receive a ticket which
enables them to enter the show individually and select one item for purchase. After
that, the showroom will be open for additional purchases. There will also be a silent auction on
pre-selected pieces. Visitors can place their bids throughout the day and the
silent auction will be closed at 3:00 p.m.
This show is one of the ways that the inmates give back to
neighboring communities in the county of Amador. They participate with the knowledge that their artwork will be
sold with the proceeds going to help others in the community. The inmates do
not receive any personal gain from this show and sale, only the satisfaction
and knowledge that they are giving back to the community. Last year’s show
brought in more than $13,000 with $11,000 donated to Operation Care. The
balance of the proceeds was used to cover some of the costs of the materials
and supplies for this year’s show.
There may be only 10 to 15 artists participating in the
visual arts section of the show, but the show will feature over several hundred
pieces, with the majority being ceramic items. These will include microwavable
stone ware, low-fire earthenware and decorative raku. A variety of
two-dimensional works, mostly representative art, reflect images of people,
still-life’s and landscapes created in colored pencil, watercolor and acrylics.
Pat Carrillo oversees the Arts in Correction program and
Mike Doud manages the Mill and Cabinet vocational program at Mule Creek. The inmates in this program produce striking
pieces of furniture and wood art.
Crafted from top-quality wood, their work includes candlesticks, bowls
and larger pieces such as dressers, sideboards, computer tables, chairs, wine
racks and hutches. “These programs provide an opportunity for the inmates to
use their creativity and talent to positively impact their community,” said Kim
Petersen, Community Partnership Manager at Mule Creek State Prison.
The show is one of the many programs provided at Mule Creek
to help inmates work on the rehabilitation process. The show was initiated by
the Amador County Arts Council over 20 years ago and six years ago moved to the
prison to give employees and the relatives of the inmates, many of whom live
out of the area, an opportunity to view and buy some pieces of art.
Mule Creek houses approximately 3,900 inmates who are
involved in a variety of activities such as automotive repair, digital mapping
and educational opportunities as well as coffee roasting, laundry (serving
institutions throughout the state), and meat cutting.
Over the years,
Inside/Out has earned an ardent following of faithful collectors, whose numbers
increase each year. If you are a first time visitor or a faithful returnee,
please find time to attend this 21st annual art show. Visitors to the Prison
must adhere to all posted rules. For more
details, call Kim Petersen at Mule Creek (209) 274-5019 or Lynn Shield at
Operation Care (209) 223-2897.
Operation Care is a non-profit organization founded in 1980 providing domestic violence and sexual assault support services, crisis intervention and education to our community