Beach inspired colors, by Marleny
Today’s project was a whimsical spiral earring with a beaded accent that I knew the women would have fun with, since it required lots of color combining- which is their favorite! Some of the new students from yesterday, who moved slower than the others since they weren’t familiar with the basic techniques, finished their Thursday projects and even were able to work on today’s project.
Sweet yet vibrant, by Antonia
There is a woman in the class who is quite young, 23, and has been in the class only a few times before. She is serving a 7 year sentence and had been in the prison just 2 years. Although enthusiastic, she tends to struggle with some of the techniques, mainly because she isn’t very patient. Today, her earrings came out beautifully and she was very pleased with herself. She showed them to her friend, declaring, “They came out really well!” and made a second pair.
A funky combo of purple and black, by Karla
I was impressed with how much more patience and care she had this class. She listened to me much closer than before and was more willing to make changes to her work. Towards the end of the class, instead of running off once she finished a project, she stayed and helped clean up the supplies (something only the old timers do). In fact, she neatly packed my entire bag and picked up every spare bead (which are tiny!) rolling around the table. She then took all the trash to throw out.
It dawned on me that over the past few years I’ve watched her grow up. I’ve noticed a distinct difference in her attitude, one that only comes with age. Although lovely to think that these relationships have that much depth, I am sad to recognize that I will know her into her late twenties. In fact, I will probably see many changes in her attitude and self as she goes from being a youth, barely over 20, to an adult. That is the nature of this work, that there is so much time with the women because their time in the prison is so long.
Design credit: Original design by Lisa Niven-Kelly