UC San Diego UC San Diego Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Paint in the Can: Creating Art and Doing Gender in Prison Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4sc1s041 Author Pecenco, Laura Publication Date 2015 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO Paint in the Can: Creating Art and Doing Gender in Prison A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology by Laura M. Pecenco Committee in charge: Professor Mary Blair-Loy, Chair Professor Amy Binder Professor Ross Frank Professor Grant Kester Professor Thomas Medvetz 2015 Copyright Laura Pecenco, 2015 All Rights Reserved The Dissertation of Laura Pecenco is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm and electronically: Chair University of California, San Diego 2015 iii Tables of Contents Signature Page……………………………………………………………………….. iii Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………….. iv List of Figures……………………………………………………………………….... v List of Tables………………………………………………………………………… vi Acknowledgments…………………………………………………………………... vii Vita…………………………………………………………………………………… xi Abstract of the Dissertation………………………………………………………… xiv Chapter 1: Introduction: “Gates to Gateways”……………………………………….. 1 Chapter 2: Research Methodology…………………………………………………... 25 Chapter 3: “Undoing Gender While Doing Time: Men in Prison Arts Programs”…. 36 Chapter 4: “Intersections on the Inside: Gender, Race, Class, Age, Disability, and Inmate Identity in a Prison Art Studio”……………………………………………... 64 Chapter 5: “From ‘Doing’ to ‘Done’: Prison Art as Cultural Object”…………..…. 114 Chapter 6: “Research Ethics in the Belly of the Beast: Studying Prison Arts Programs”…………………………………………………………………………... 139 Chapter 7: Conclusion: “From the Inside Out: Connections Between the Prison and the Outside World”…………………………………………………………………….. 169 Appendix: Methodological Approach……………………………………………… 177 References………………………………………………………………………….. 196 iv List of Figures Figure 5.1: Source: Prison Creative Arts Project Gallery: 16th Annual Exhibition (2011); Lus Ybarra, K.T.’s Dancing……………………………………….....…..... 132 Figure 5.2: Source: Safe Streets Arts Foundation; Curtis Anthony Dye, Inner Image…. ……………………………………………………………………………………… 133 Figure 5.3: Source: Prison Creative Arts Project Gallery: 16th Annual Exhibition (2011); Kevin Allen, Missing You……………………………………………..…... 134 v List of Tables Table 2.1: Characteristics of Incarcerated Respondents…………………………….. 34 Table 2.2: Characteristics of Art Program Staff Respondents………………………. 35 Table A.1: Research Approval Process…………………………………………….. 177 vi Acknowledgements As Howard Becker describes in Art Worlds (1982), the creation of any work of art depends on the involvement of multiple parties. Many amazing people have contributed to this dissertation, and my gratitude to them extends far beyond the confines of this dissertation. I am forever in the debt of my subjects, the incarcerated artists who graciously allowed me the opportunity to peek into their lives. I cannot thank them enough for giving me the opportunity to work with them and to learn from them. Thank you to the staff and administration of the prison; your support has been integral to this project. It is an absolute pleasure to work with the Warden and the volunteer coordinator. My fellow prison arts program practitioners are some of the most amazing people I have ever met. Laurie, you inspire me with your tireless work. Jack, thank you for your continued support and encouragement. Larry, I used to (and still do!) read about you in awe; I am now beyond proud to call you my friend as well as my mentor. Paul and Lori, thank you for nurturing me in this field and literally opening doors. Kathleen, you are a champion. You have been the most reliable, amazing collaborator I could have. They all invited me in with open arms and continue to support all of my endeavors. I look forward to a very bright future continuing to collaborate with them. My committee members have each provided me with a unique outlook on this topic. Mary Blair-Loy, the Chair of my committee, my adviser and mentor for six vii years, has consistently been my champion. She spent a tremendous amount of time and effort listening to my thoughts, providing me with feedback, reading drafts, and more, and always reminded me of the larger goal. I look forward to many more long conversations with her. Amy Binder is a phenomenal sociologist. Her work has inspired me and helped pave the way for Chapter 5. Tom Medvetz has done extensive work in social movements and organizations, which provided me with insight into how to consider the prison as an entity unto its own. Grant Kester led me into an analysis of material culture and provided an invaluable perspective into visual arts. His own work on community-engaged arts has also widened my worldview, and encouraged me to consider possibilities for the interrelationship between arts and activism. Ross Frank provided such unique insight into the overlap between my interest in art creation in modern prisons and his own fascinating work on art created by Plains Indians while in confinement. He helped me in broadening my understanding of how my research fits into a much bigger picture. Professors Rick Biernacki and Jeff Haydu provided me with much food for thought over the years and I am so grateful for their guidance. Thank you to Professor Victoria Bonnell at UC Berkeley, for encouraging me as an undergraduate student. She put the spark of graduate school in my mind, and really fought for me throughout the entire process. She provided the original template for research to me, and helped me discover how much I enjoyed it. Professors Paul Kaplan and Brian Goeltzenleuchter of San Diego State University’s Art | Crime Archive are part of an amazing community of people doing work on the intersections of the arts and the viii criminal justice system. They have supported my endeavors whole-heartedly. Thanks as well to Manny dela Paz, Susan Taniguchi, and Beverly Bernhardt, who all made my time at UC San Diego much more enjoyable. There are so many people who helped me along the way, and may not have realized the role that they played. Stephen Meyers not only read too many drafts to count, he became my cheerleader and boosted my confidence. I am also proud to call him one of my best friends. Chris Drue and Geoffrey Fojtasek were my partners in a writing group. Chris is so dependable and was always willing to give of his time and exceptional reviewing skills. Geoffrey provided me with great insights, but also made sure that I was well-fed every time I saw him. Erica Bender and I have shared many stories (sometimes about sociology) and laughs (often about sociology) over numerous cups of coffee. Laura Hoeger is a wonderful friend and has paved the way for me in many respects; she has reassured me so many times, in dissertation matters and in life overall. Yeesheen Yang is a beautiful human being and demonstrated to me that dissertations can be done. Jon Greene has been there since the beginning and has always supported me. I have known Kevin Gist for nearly fifteen years and he has encouraged me in each of my pursuits as only he can. My family has truly been there every step of the process. My mother, Irene Pecenco, and father, Giovanni Pecenco, both have always championed me in whatever route I decided to take. They never stopped cheering me on, but also never pushed too hard. My mom has shaped me in countless ways, and I thank her for providing an ix amazing example but also encouraging me to find my own path. My dad never failed to remind me that he is by my side, and that life should be, above all, fun. My brother, Matthew Pecenco, is smart as a whip and has always kept me on my toes; he has also always served as an admirable table tennis partner, and I appreciate the challenge. Marco Pecenco, my half-brother, has a similar sense of the world, and I thank him for thinking I am (at least somewhat) cool. I think he is too. No one in my family ever batted an eyelash when I told them I wanted to work in and do research on prisons, nor when I said I was going to start my own arts program. Their confidence in me and unwavering support in making things happen has made me who I am today. x Vita APPOINTMENT Assistant Professor, Sociology August 2015-present San Diego Miramar College EDUCATION Ph.D., Sociology December 2015 University of California, San Diego M.A., Sociology March 2010 University of California, San Diego B.A., Sociology (Highest Honors) May 2006 University of California, Berkeley AUTHORED REPORTS Pecenco, Laura. 2013. “Giving Voice to the Voiceless: Art as Power in the Prison Industrial Complex.” Cóndor 1 (1): 75-76. Blair-Loy, Mary, Laura Pecenco, and Erin Cech. 2013. The Persistence of Male Power and Prestige in the Professions: Report on the Professions of Law, Medicine, and Science & Engineering. Center for Research on Gender in the Professions, UC San Diego. March. Cech, Erin, Laura Pecenco, and Mary Blair-Loy. 2013. Science and Engineering Professions: The Status of Women and Men. Center for Research on Gender in the Professions, UC San Diego. March. Pecenco, Laura and Mary Blair-Loy. 2013. Legal Professions: The Status of Women and Men. Center for Research on Gender in the Professions (CRGP), UC San Diego. March. Williams, Stacy, Laura Pecenco, and Mary Blair-Loy. 2013. Medical Professions: The Status of Women