A PICTURE may be worth a thousand words, but is it worth 400 bowls of soup?
That’s a question that may look entirely different depending on whether you’re inside or outside a correctional facility. And it’s one of the hidden elements that hold the key to understanding the exhibit of art by prisoners and juvenile hall inmates at the Streetlow Arte benefit on Saturday at South First Billiards in San Jose.
Proceeds from the benefit, featuring live performance by Chicano rappers Brother IG and Joe Baby, as well as soul singer Dino Aponte and gospel act Amazing Grace, will go to provide art supplies for incarcerated youth through the nonprofits The Beat Within and Catalyst for Youth.
“Outsider art” is a controversial term even in the snobbiest of art circles. Its downside, of course, is that it implies art is primarily a concept owned and operated by “insiders,” with a conventional view of what is beautiful or substantial. But what makes the “outsider” concept worthwhile is the way it challenges viewers to consider other factors outside of what they see inside the frame. Does the “worthiness” of a piece of art change when the artists’ mental state, lack of training or physical limitations are considered?
This exhibit offers a unique opportunity to consider that question, as the inmates who produced many of the drawings have done so for many reasons, not the least of which is that art can allow them to operate within the prison barter system. One inmate may want to express himself to his family on the outside, but not having the artistic ability, he may seek the services of a more artistically talented inmate who will do the work for him, at a cost of, say, “400 soups.”
“For a lot of artists on the inside, it’s a means of survival,” says Jose Valle, an editor at Streetlow Magazine. The second most popular magazine about lowrider culture on the market, Streetlow has a huge readership inside the correctional system. It was Valle’s idea to take the countless pieces of artwork the magazine has received and use it as the basis for an exhibit.
South First Billiards owner Ben Soriano admits that when he first saw the art, he didn’t get it. It reminded him of a lot of the same Aztec-obsessed, La Raza stuff he’s seen growing up Chicano in east Salinas. But as he began to understand the stories behind the art, his appreciation grew. It reminded him of how he got his first exposure to art thanks to a grassroots art program, operated by young Chicano artists out of a small stucco bungalow, in his hometown in the ’70s.
“What’s powerful about the art is the process of the art itself,” says Soriano. “You’re locked up, you’re trying to even just get a piece of paper and a pen. And the stuff is so detailed.”
“In this case, there’s an education that has to come along with it in order to appreciate it,” agrees Vallee.
But when that appreciation begins, there’s a richness to the mosaic approach in the art that Vallee believes pays off.
“It doesn’t just cover one emotion, it covers many,” he says. “You’re never just looking at one thing.”
About half of the art will be from prisoners, the other half is from artists on the outside responding to the same things.
“It’s a relationship,” says Vallee. “It’s a unity between those on the inside and those on the outside.”
The music for the event in some ways represents a return to the ’70s and ’80s, when San Jose was the lowrider capital of the world, with a big emphasis on soul. Though the two biggest acts are rappers, even they have a distinct soul bent. Meanwhile, the “souleros,” a term originally coined to describe Chicano collectors obsessed with classic soul 45s, will be out in full force, with DJs like Mountain View’s Moses and the Ten Commandments of Soul spinning rare records, while Dino Aponte sings many of those same songs in his set.
“Chicanos, for whatever reason, we don’t want to let that music go,” says Vallee.
Streetlow Arte Benefit
Saturday, 5pm
Music begins at 9pm
South First Billiards, San Jose
