Art and Its Transformative Power

Charles H. Lawson, a.k.a. Zafir, “Writings on the Wall,” 2001. From the collection of Jim and Rhonda Mordy

This is the text of a speech given by an inmate in the chapel at Graterford Prison in Pennsylvania. The occasion was the Arts in Criminal Justice conference, October 3-6, 2007, produced by the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.

Good morning on behalf of the muralists here at Graterford, myself and the many disadvantaged men, women and children that can benefit from this gathering. I would also like to thank each and every one of you  for coming out here today and expressing your genuine concern.

I’m truly honored to be able to openly address such a distinctive group of people on a subject that is truly dear to my heart: art and its transformative power.

Briefly, art has been one of the determining factors when showing how successful a society has been — be it the drawings found in the caves of Australia, or a technologically involved blueprint. Imagery was the tool of communication. It told a story without the use of many words, and would inevitably transform the way we would interact with our environment and each other. Art has been used in other forms of communication with major success, from the social commentary of the murals of Spain, Mexico, Ireland and other places to the introduction of subliminal seduction in the advertising field. It is no wonder that a tool that has been so successful in the past is now being seriously considered to help transform some of the social ills we are faced with today.

It was with this premise in mind — art as a transformational tool — and a need to give something back to the community we were displaced from — that the Healing Walls came into being. With that also came the expansion of the Mural Arts Program here at Graterford. This has allowed us at Graterford to reach even further back into society, where we were able to connect with young men who were traveling down that same road we had. This effort was to prevent them from ending up as we have, in places like this.

I have personally expanded my effort to use my art as a transformational tool. In addition to working with the Mural Arts Program, I also work with others groups. Need in Deed is one such group, a community-based organization out of Philadelphia. Art for Justice is an organization that offers programming using art as a catalyst for cognitive learning transformation.

I truly believe it will be through the efforts of groups such as this – the Mural Arts Program and the like — that we can and will start to win back most of our distracted youth and give meaning to our displaced men and women. Now, this is by no means an end-all. Other help will also be needed. But this is a point of entry that should thoroughly be capitalized.

I pray our efforts here today will give a better understanding of how we can use art to meet these ends and start transforming thinking, behavior and, subsequently, lives. I thank you again and turn this over to those who can start this process.

Charles H. Lawson, a.k.a. Zafir, CA-0187, is a self-taught artist serving a life sentence at Graterford Prison in Pennsylvania. Lawson’s artwork has been exhibited at the Philadelphia Art Museum, Ursinus University, Montgomery County Community College, Temple University, Pennsylvania State University (Berks), the Methodist Annual Convention, Pendel Hill and other inmate art shows. In 2002, Lawson’s painting “I Survive” won the Winsor & Newton Award from the Philadelphia Watercolor Society, and he painted a mural in the Graterford Schoolhouse at the request of Literacy Teacher Robert Bender. Lawson currently works at Graterford with Healing Walls and other projects of the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, which brings together victims and offenders to plan and work on murals with the goal of seeking solutions to those affected by violent crime. The program has completed murals for locations throughout Philadelphia and within Graterford. Lawson’s own artwork may be seen on the Web at www.artforjustice.org.

Original CAN/API publication: December 2007