Facilitator: Luis Perez

Location: Sterling Correctional Facility

Dates: Mondays and Wednesdays, May 18th - June 15th

Program Description:

Portraiture is the artistic creation, study, and practice of creating visual representations of individuals or groups. In this class students will learn the elements and techniques of portraiture that will help them define the individuality and humanity of their subjects. Some of the elements of portraiture we will cover include lighting and its effects, composition, color theory, and setting and objects. These elements can work together to convey emotion and convey information about the subject’s status, character, narrative and mood.

Facilitator: Matte Refic

Location: Colorado State Penitentiary

Program Description:
Drawing From the Inside is a drawing and creative expression program. The course teaches the fundamentals of drawing to participants of all skill levels while integrating concepts related to mindfulness, psychology, observation, and self-expression. Through structured lessons and creative exploration, participants develop technical drawing abilities alongside focus, reflection, and creative confidence.

Facilitators: Lilly Stannard & Rick Merrill

Location: Buena Vista Correctional Facility

Course Dates: Wednesdays July 15th- October 7th

Program Description:
This class invites participants into a creative practice of movement and writing as pathways to imagination, reflection, and self-expression. Through gentle, accessible movement, we slow down and listen to the wisdom of the body by quieting the thinking mind to make space for intuition, curiosity, and discovery. Writing becomes a companion to movement, helping us deepen, explore, and communicate what the body has to teach us. Together, we’ll experiment with creative prompts and reflective practices that resource the artist within, expand our imaginative capacity, and reconnect us to ourselves and one another. No dance or writing experience is needed, only a willingness to move, notice, and imagine.