The Subculture of Serious Artists in a Maximum Security Prison

Abstract

This article presents findings from an ethnographic study of the art world of "serious artists" in a maximum security prison. The study is based on extensive interviews with inmate-artists and guards, both alone and in groups, and direct observation of the settings in which inmates "do art." We find that "serious artists" are disproportionately older, white, long-term prisoners who adopt a strategy of withdrawal into a network of friends to escape the psychological and physical stresses of dealing with the guards and the more violent inmates. Becoming a "serious artist" involves a career that includes passage through the prison art program, sales within prison, recognition by established artists, sales to outside organizations that sponsor prison art, and, finally, sales at public art shows. Each advance in the career provides access to more resources, especially self-esteem and money, which frees the inmate from the prison economy. Recognition by the network of serious artists facilitates a career by providing access to exchange of supplies, criticism, information about markets, and socialization into skills of dealing with the guards and dangerous inmates.