May 26, 2008
ARTISTS ON CALL
Leah Samuelson, second right, sketches a gang member who poses as the Prodigal Son. Faces of the inmates have been covered to hide teir identity. Her work was part of the BuildaBridge Artists on Call Program in partnership with Estrategia de Transformacion in Guatemala.
Murals and Prodigals Transformation art with gangs in Guatemala Prisons By Leah Samuelson DAY ONE: Estrategia de Transformacion staff showed me to the prison for barrio 18 gang members at 9:00 this morning. We entered with a long line of wives and girlfriends bringing clothes and gifts to men inside. I was introduced to two artists in a hallway who were interested in helping with the mural. My host from EDT asked if I was ready to begin painting. I said no, and asked where was the wall we were supposed to consider. “Right here,” he said, “in front of us. This is these men’s home. Where would you like to start?”
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There are 140 men living in this hall and the 10 or so suites attached to it behind heavy iron doors. I walked the length of the hall among crowds of men sitting on balled up mattresses on the floor, some writing in notebooks at small wooden desks, and some gathering in the corner
to receive condoms from a visiting social worker. One side of the hall is finished with inmate artists’ black and white murals of skeletons, masks, and women. The other side contains 2 iconic religious murals. My host suggested I fill one of the blank spaces on that side- near the door, so visitors will see it.
process was intriguing. One young man had his portrait sketched as a keepsakecapturing his gang-signaling hand gesture. Our prodigal son model helped me measure every dimension of our complicated wall. It is interrupted by iron doors, cement pillars, and miscellaneous bolts.
My host and I explained the prodigal son theme of the mural to and held a brainstorming session with the 15 men who had drawn near us. We conferred on the particulars of what the mural characters should look like- what they should wear, their hair, shoes, etc.
Then my host interpreted as I introduced myself and the project to the entire room. “They are expecting a lesson from the scriptures.” My host told me. So my introduction included a brief sermon on the message in the prodigal story.
From my seat in one of the desks I sketched two inmates who modeled the father’s and son’s poses for the mural. It was difficult to find a volunteer to model s the son- on his knees with his arms raised to the father. The sketching
We described the 3 step process of the mural. I would make the final drawing of a composition based on my sketches that evening. Tomorrow I would draw the outline onto the wall itself. Next, volunteer artists would accent and shade the outline in black using their tested