CALL PROCESS Each week, artists only have one chance to speak to each other—at a one hour designated time when the inside artist will call our shared phone line. Since there are many logistical barriers on the inside, and no Internet or text messages to reschedule, many times these calls do not go through. For example, some of these barriers include the following that have come up this year: there are no clocks in San Quentin, and some artists tell the time by looking at the televisions and having memorized what programs are on at what time. Lockdowns occur without warning for reasons such as a guard’s cell phone going missing. Quarantines, which confine incarcerated people to their cells, are implemented for weeks when there are flu outbreaks. The phone call area is far away from some artists, who have to walk over a mile to make their calls. Phone lines may unexpectedly break down. However, when they do go through, these conversations become some of the most precious parts of the artistic collaboration. These are a few of the quotes Stanford artists have written down, spoken by San Quentin artists.
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