News

TN Stripe Creations Project Receives National Honor

From Grace Robinson, Public Information and Research Coordinator —

South Central TN Workforce Alliance (SCTWA) worked with a TN artist and the Maury County Jail to participate in the National Youth Challenge Project last fall. The Challenge was administered by Maher & Maher, the U.S. Department of Labor and the Office of Disability Employment Policy through the +ACUMEN Human Centered Design (Youth Project Design) program. The SCTWA project Stripe Creations was then honored in the top 10 out of 80 projects at the White House in February 2016.

Jan McKeel, executive director of South Central TN Workforce Alliance and a team of her staff partnered with consulting artist Clarissa Lega to answer the call sent to Workforces across the U.S. to participate in the challenge and “to provide innovative programs that encourage 18 to 25-year-olds to set positive benchmarks for work and life.” Coordinating with Maury County Jail, nine inmates were welcomed to participate in the project. In honor of their work, Clarissa Lega, Jan McKeel and Maury County Sheriff Rowlands, were presented with the Liberty Bell Award on Law Day in Columbia, TN on May 20, 2016.

Stripe Creations

Inmate working on his collage Given parameters that the project was to take place within 6 to 10 hours, to engage participants personally and bring back valuable results, the team set to work.

Led by Lega, the nine young men took on the project, named Stripe Creations, and were given life-size, black and white images of themselves in their prison work suits. They were then invited to reflect on the image with the question, “Does this define me?”

The inmates created a collage depicting their response on 6-foot heavy paper canvas using their life sized image and a collection of materials: colored paper, magazine cut-outs, fabric, charcoal and more. To bring the enterprise full-circle the workshop’s products were made for exhibition and intended to be sold with proceeds donated to a charity of the participants choice.

Inmate working on his collage Alongside the  Workforce team, the group of inmates created together, shared ideas and skills. They concentrated on their creative and analytical task, adjusting to circumstances and were very pleased with their work. Each produced meaningful images with insights into their lives. Many portrayed their emotional state at being incarcerated. The previous and subsequent instruction on entrepreneurship also received intent attention.

Since the project has concluded, three of the inmates have maintained a strong association with South Central TN Workforce Alliance services,  both during incarceratin and after release. Many more have taken full advantage of the onsite education courses, committed to changing their plight.

 

Video produced by Clarissa Lega