Prison Arts Collective

“Beyond the Blue” is a traveling exhibition of over 100 works of art created in California by incarcerated individuals participating in weekly arts programming through the Prison Arts Collective (PAC). The artists included seek to transform their lives through art and aim to shift society’s stereotypical image of ‘inmate’ or ‘prisoner’ by sharing their personal expressions, goals, and talents to demonstrate their shared humanity.

The Prison Arts Collective now facilitates weekly programs in eight California state prisons and will expand to twelve institutions by 2020. The project’s multidisciplinary arts classes are led by a collaborative team of teaching artists, university students, and peer facilitators. The program also offers a comprehensive Arts Facilitator Training program for incarcerated individuals that want to grow as leaders and mentors by facilitating art classes.

The PAC is founded by Annie Buckley, Professor and Director of Art + Design at San Diego State University, and supported by Arts in Corrections, an initiative of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the California Arts Council.