Art from the inside event
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nebraska State Prison Overcrowding is Theme of Artwork Released from Tecumseh State Correctional Institution
Overcrowding in NE state prisons is the focus of “Art from the Inside,” a collection of artworks created by people incarcerated at the Tecumseh State prison. Contributing artists Robert Heist II,
Jonathon C. Buckley, Michael McKenzie, Cory Russell, and Warren Wilson focused on their
firsthand experiences of the impact overcrowding causes. Heist’s beadwork and origami, for
example, includes a special “Memorial to Terry Berry,” in honor of Berry, 22, who was murdered
April 2017 while awaiting his imminent release from Tecumseh.
While Legislature has been informed that overcrowding is at 163%, that calculation was based
on factors that shifted the men’s headcount from men’s to women’s, or state to county facilities.
And solutions proposed for the overcrowding have addressed only bedding, without an increase
in the facility’s support systems. “If you consider all of the factors, the true overcrowding in the
men’s system would be 175%, making us the most overcrowded in the U. S. The first step
toward solving the problem is honestly measuring it.” Robert J. Heist II, in a letter to the Editor,
Lincoln Journal Star, August 4, 2019.
Wilson, one former cellmate of Berry’s, has concentrated on Zen Mandalas since Berry’s death.
McKenzie’s “Just Beyond the Fence” and Buckley’s "I Know Why the Caged Bird Crochets,"
address physical and psychological observations and longings. Russell’s background in tattoo
artistry is evident in his graphic works of skulls, animals, and text.
Opening reception is at G Dobos Studio, Suite #7, located on the second floor of the Mission Arts Building, 124 S 9th St., Lincoln, NE and is part of the September 6, First Friday Art Walk, 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Proceeds from the sale of artwork will go to the People’s City Mission, Lincoln.
The work will be on view the month of September, by appointment. You
may contact the studio at dobos.geraldine@gmail.com or (402) 304-9295.