SPECIAL SERIES:
This is the second in a series of Art In Your Inbox editions developed in collaboration with the Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP).

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"The Crochet Lady"
Artwork Title: Crocheted Motorcycle
Artist: Samantha Bachynski
2019, yarn, acrylic
Artist statement
“At this point in my life, my artwork gives me something I can be proud of. I have developed a bit of a reputation as, 'The Crochet Lady.' I intend to challenge myself each year to live up to that reputation. I also paint and with each painting I grow. I create something new and different. There is not much that I can say I am proud of in my life outside of what I have accomplished with both performance and material art. I have accomplished so much and have grown in many ways through art. Not only am I proud of myself, I know others are proud of me as well, and that adds so much meaning to my life. Without art I would be lost.” â€“ Samantha Bachyski
Samantha Bachynski is a long-time participant in PCAP’s Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners. In addition to crocheting, Bachynski spent much time researching each of the motorcycle’s constitutive parts to better her work, using books and magazines to learn about the bike’s structure. In order to assemble this large piece, she crocheted each part of the motorcycle separately and then sewed the pieces together. 

Reflection Prompts:
  • Crochet is thought of as a stereotypically feminine practice while an interest in motorcycles is framed as a masculine one. How does artist Samantha Bachynski challenge our expectations of gender, by bringing together the masculine and the feminine in her crocheted motorcycle?
  • How does research inform your own creative or professional practice?
"PCAP volunteers crisscross state to piece together art exhibition by Michigan prisoners"

Learn what it’s like for PCAP’s volunteers to curate the annual art exhibition, including conversations with and art by incarcerated artists, how hard it is to narrow down the art selections, and how important art is both inside and outside prison walls. 
Ear Hustle

Ear Hustle is a podcast collaboration between visual artist Nigel Poor and radio producer Earlonne Woods. Season One begins as an exploration of what the day-to-day is like at California’s San Quentin State Prison, where Poor is a volunteer art teacher and Woods was incarcerated. In 2018, Woods’s sentence was commuted after 21 years by California Governor Jerry Brown, in part because of his work on Ear Hustle and the significant cultural contribution the podcast makes. On the website you can also explore art by incarcerated artists, notes and art sent by listeners to the podcast team, and portraits of the incarcerated individuals that co-host and co-produce the show.
About PCAP
The Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP) brings those impacted by the justice system and the University of Michigan community into artistic collaboration for mutual learning and growth. Founded in 1990 with a single theatre workshop, PCAP has grown to include undergraduate courses, weekly creative arts workshops, exhibitions, publications, and events that reach thousands of individuals each year. PCAP's most visible program, the Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners, is the largest curated exhibition of incarcerated artists in the world and features pieces created by artists in every correctional facility in the state. The Annual Exhibition is generously sponsored by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and Om of Medicine.
Art In Your Inbox Contributors:
  • Olivia Ordonez, PhD Candidate in English Language and Literature and Rackham Public Engagement Fellow at UMMA;
  • Nora Krinitsky, Lecturer in the Residential College and Interim Director of the Prison Creative Arts Project; and
  • Janie Paul, painter and community-based artist, Professor Emerita, Stamps School of Art and Design and School of Social Work, and Senior Curator, Prison Creative Arts Project.
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