Inspiration:

Everything is connected. All of us in Art From the Inside are connected to each other. We stay connected through phone calls, spiritual beliefs and practices with our families. Sometimes it's hard to remember that I am who I am today because of the way things have influenced or impacted on other parts, like a clock's gears. Other times it feels like it's easy to forget that the universe is a gigantic place.

What role does art play in your life?

I see the same plain white brick walls day after day with a lot of the same faces coming and going so I find myself yearning to see something a little different, to hear something other than, "movement is open," "movement is closed" every 30 minutes or "movement is open all offenders report to their designated count areas," "Count is in progress," "Count clear." So I put in my earbuds and sit with a blank piece of paper and a pencil and check out of prison for just a little bit, enjoying something other than plain white brick walls and the same faces.

Artist statement:

I've been in Shakopee Women's Correctional Facility for some years now, and was lucky enough to participate in a couple of exhibits before this one. The only thing in prison that a person can be is an individual. Seeing the same plain white brick walls day after day with some of the same faces on repeat, all wearing the same clothing - gray sweatshirts, gray sweatpants, gray T-shirts, blue jeans, blue button up and either white or black "shoes." Put us in a field and it'd have the same effect as zebras do in the wild. We have little color in our lives and that has had a depressing effect on many of us, including me. So, being able to see and have color in my life, being able to have something different from the person next to me has given me back a sense of individuality and brought me some sense of inner happiness.