Prison Arts Voices

For over four decades, the William James Association has supported the transformative power of art within carceral settings. Prison Arts Voices is our evolving collection of audio stories and videos that celebrate the impact of the Prison Arts Project, told through the lived experiences of student artists, teaching artists, alumni, family members, and supporters.

These stories offer rare insight into the ways creativity can foster healing, connection, and dignity even in the most challenging environments.

Video Library: Arts in Corrections

and Prison Arts Project in Motion

These short films and documentaries showcase the spirit of arts-in-corrections and the prison arts project across California. From classrooms to galleries, they highlight the work of student artists, teaching artists, and those who continue to advocate for humanity through creativity.

Together We Soar: Prison Arts Project Choir at High Desert State Prison

Together We Soar is a short film set inside High Desert State Prison that documents the culmination of a year-long series of weekly choir workshops offered by the William James Association's Prison Arts Project, ending in a powerful concert for both staff and residents.

Arts in Pelican Bay State Prison
Launched in 2016 by Dell’Arte with the William James Association, this program brings ensemble-based theatre classes to all security levels at Pelican Bay, fostering creativity and rehabilitation through the arts.

Prison Arts Panel on Alcatraz
Artists with lived experience in the carceral system share how creative expression supported their personal transformation.

On the Line: Artwork from the San Quentin Prison Arts Project
A panel discussion with former participants of the San Quentin Prison Arts Project at the San Francisco Public Library.

GOOD MAN – A Prison Arts Project Story
A powerful profile of artist Ronnie Goodman, who found new purpose through art while at San Quentin.

Arts-in-Corrections at Valley State Prison
This documentary reveals how art, music, and theater create powerful connections and transformation within the walls of Valley State Prison.

ART STRONG – Valley State Prison
A short documentary featuring incarcerated artists and their instructors, including Augustin Lira and Patricia Solarzano Wells.

Watch more videos on the Prison Arts Project YouTube page. Click HERE.

ART IS CHANGE (formerly Change the Story / Change the World)

Art doesn’t just reflect change it drives it. Hosted by author, musician, and researcher Bill Cleveland, ART IS CHANGE takes you deep into the lives of activist artists and cultural organizers who are reshaping communities, one story at a time.

This special 11-episode collection, courtesy of the ART IS CHANGE podcast, shines a light on members of the William James Association Prison Art Project family. Through honest, unguarded conversations, you’ll hear how creativity can heal, empower, and open doors even in the most locked-down places.

Featured Episode:
Conversations with William James Prison Arts Project Artists

Episode 39 • Bonus • December 30, 2021
From the ART IS CHANGE: Tactics and Tools for Activist Artists and Cultural Organizers series with Bill Cleveland.

The Practice of Freedom: Podcast Series with Tim Fitzmaurice

This series centers the lived experiences of people impacted by the carceral system, sharing stories of survival, resilience, and transformation in their own voices. Each 30-minute episode highlights formerly incarcerated individuals, and the communities that walk beside them, who together illuminate both the struggles of incarceration and the possibilities of healing, justice, and reentry.

Laurie Brooks – Inside Stories from the Prison Arts Project
A 30-minute KSQD interview featuring the William James Association's Executive Director Laurie Brooks, who shares stories from her 34 years of leading the transformative Prison Arts Project in California state prisons.

Tony Wallin-Sato – Finding Clarity in Struggle
Tony Wallin-Sato invites you on a 30-minute journey through pain, into clarity, and toward transformation.

Henry Frank – Artist & Advocate
Henry Frank reflects on his journey of survival and transformation through art. Now an educator and Communications Coordinator for the William James Association, he shares how lived experience of incarceration shapes his work with justice-impacted communities.

Sam Cunningham – Counselor & Mentor
Sam Cunningham, returned resident, speaks about his path of recovery and service. Drawing on his own experience, he now works with Barrios Unidos as a counselor for veterans and others navigating incarceration, addiction, and reentry.

UCSC Prison Panel – Lived Voices of Incarceration
This panel brings together the voices of Henry Frank, Sam Cunningham, and Larticia Roberts, who survived 20 years in California prisons. In conversation with UCSC students, they share lived experiences of incarceration, survival, reentry, and advocacy.

Student Reflections – Learning from Lived Experience
Two UCSC students reflect on interviews with formerly incarcerated people and on a prison justice panel attended by 250 students. Beginning at minute 10, the episode highlights how lived experience informs student learning and community dialogue.

About the Host

Tim Fitzmaurice has taught Writing at UC Santa Cruz since 1983 and is a fellow of Crown College. A poet, essayist, and playwright, he also served on the Santa Cruz City Council and as Mayor of Santa Cruz (2000–2001). He teaches courses on ethics, technology, and social justice, and leads creative writing workshops at Salinas Valley State Prison. Tim holds a B.A. in English from San José State University and an M.A. in Comparative Literature from UCSC.

Audio Stories: Voices from the Inside-Out

These recordings were captured in collaboration with the Justice Arts Coalition and California Lawyers for the Arts during the Arts in Corrections: Building Bridges to the Future conference at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles (2017).