Robert Taliaferro is a working journalist, graphic artist, and community activist currently living in Minnesota, after serving over 38 years of confinement. He edited The Prison Mirror newspaper at the Minnesota Correctional Institution at Stillwater from 1985-1989. His work is published in News and Letters Committees and he is the author of Always Color Outside the Lines: Freedom for the Artist Within (2018). He recently graduated from Metro State University in St Paul, MN where he was the Outstanding Student Award recipient for the College of Individualized Studies and also gave the Commencement address. He is beginning a graduate degree program in the fall and will be studying Urban Developmental Initiatives and Adult Education.
Taliaferro is featured in episode 3, "Three Convicts, Twenty Dollars, and a Newspaper."
Art Against the Odds: Finding Creative Humanity in Wisconsin Prisons, by Robert Taliaferro
I am a portrait artist and I have been creating paintings for most of my life. My first exhibition and sales came about when I was 14 years old, and my work has been exhibited in juried and private exhibitions across the country. I love the tactile nature of creating a painting, or molding a sculpture with clay, and I know, intimately, the healing powers of art, in any form.
I was incarcerated for over 38 years and during that time I created nearly 2000 works of art. I would create portraits of family members of the men that I came across, and those paintings symbolized the path that I took to finally gain my freedom. Art was power for me. It was a media to express myself in a place where self-expression and individualism was often frowned upon.
Episode 4 of "Human Powered: Humanity Unlocked” explores the powerful story of Art Against the Odds, an exhibition which showcased the art of incarcerated individuals in Wisconsin. Pablo Picasso once stated, “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” For many incarcerated artists, their everyday art allows them to gain a link to sanity, and this podcast explores how creativity can serve as that lifeline.
When I was in prison, I had the connections and resources in place so that I did not have to struggle to get art supplies when needed. For most incarcerated artists, this is not the case. Some of the most powerful creations that I have seen while confined were created with unconventional media. People would buy M&M’s and use water to bleed the colors from the candies to create watercolors. Others would create intricate sculptures with bars of soap, toothpicks, or found objects in the prison yard.
The podcast introduces us to three of those innovative artists who exemplify the intricate measures that incarcerated persons sometimes must take to be creative. The program features artists Joshua Gresl, John Tyson, and Sarah Demerath.
Over the years I had seen some incredibly unique sculpturing materials, but none as unique as Joshua’s Milk Monsters, created from pieces of discarded milk cartons. Empty milk cartons in prison are contraband, so to prepare his media Joshua often had to use his teeth to rip the cartons down, smuggle them back to his room, create his sculpture and then hope that staff would not destroy his creations during a cell search.
What is humbling about Joshua’s “Milk Monsters” is that they were not only a symbol of his resilience, and his ability to find beauty in an unexpected place, but they also represented how such a simple media can create a powerful commemorative. When his friend Noel passed away, Joshua memorialized Noel with one of his Milk Monsters as a way of coping. In paying it forward, when Joshua was released from incarceration, he opened the Gresl Gallery which is a space to showcase his work and to support other artists who work with discarded or found materials.
John Tyson, another artist featured in the podcast, created a series of "targets" during his time in prison. These circles within circles represent the feeling of being targeted, offering a visual representation of the trauma of incarceration and the feeling of being besieged by the justice system. When it comes to John’s “targets,” this is something that every incarcerated person feels at some time during their confinement, and art was a way of coping with that feeling. Like John, I too feel that art is therapeutic and an escape from the everyday sameness of prison, and I often felt John’s “Targets” on my back as well.
Like so many incarcerated persons in the system who desired to do something special for their families, Sarah Demerath began her journey as an artist making small gifts, like cards, for her daughter. Since her release, Sarah has continued to create art, using her experiences to inspire others and advocate for the importance of art programs in prisons. She has created "Cards Behind Bars," a project that sends thousands of handmade cards to women who are incarcerated in Wisconsin.
Art Against the Odds, the Wisconsin Prison Art Exhibition, was initially held at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD). It brought together the work of 65 incarcerated Wisconsin artists, including Joshua, John, and Sarah. The exhibition was co-curated by Debra Brehmer, owner, and director of the Portrait Society Gallery, and it drew a diverse audience, and generated powerful conversations about the role of art in the lives of incarcerated individuals as it emphasized the importance of continuing to create spaces for incarcerated artists to share their stories and talents.
When I was incarcerated, I drafted a book titled, “Always Color Outside the Lines: Freedom for the Artist Within,” to highlight the importance of art in our lives. It was mainly written after hearing some incarcerated persons discuss how they could not even draw a stick figure, and it was designed to be a reminder that at one time in our lives, we were all artists, drawing on the dining room walls or posting our childhood drawings proudly on the refrigerator door.
The exhibit, and the podcast exemplify what I was trying to express in the book, that the creation of art is something that should not be muted by the culture, or by prison walls, razor wired fences, or antiquated policies, practices and procedures designed to stifle creativity.
Art Against the Odds is an example of the humanities in action. By exploring the stories of incarcerated artists and the individuals who support them, the episode highlights the importance of empathy, understanding, and connection in a world that often marginalizes those who have been incarcerated; it also highlights the crucial role that art can play in the lives of incarcerated individuals.
In Wisconsin, where the prison system has a long history of being overcrowded and under-resourced, access to art programs is often limited. However, the artists featured in the podcast demonstrate that art and creative expression, regardless of the circumstances, will always find a way to shine, even in the most challenging environments.
The stories of Joshua, John, and Sarah reveal how art can serve to find meaning in challenging circumstances. Joshua's Milk Monsters, created from discarded milk cartons, represent his resilience and his ability to find beauty in unexpected places. John's "targets" offer a visual representation of the feeling of being targeted by the justice system, and Sarah's cards for her daughter reflect her longing for connection and continuation of family, regardless of the situation.
Their stories also encourages us to reconsider our perceptions of incarcerated individuals and to recognize their inherent humanity, acting as a reminder that art can be a powerful tool for promoting social change, and that creativity, regardless of the circumstances, can never be quashed.
