Most people’s perception of prison life revolves around sensationalized news stories and Hollywood movies depicting drab, inhospitable environments far outside our reach.

In today’s show, we’re challenging that view in a chat with two educators who use photography as a framework for teaching visual literacy and the art of storytelling to incarcerated men.

Cameras, computers, and sometimes even books, are prohibited from classrooms inside lock up, which forced our guests to come up with creative workarounds, using the generosity of the photographic medium as a path to engage in dialog with their students.

As one of our guests, Nigel Poor, puts it: “With a little bit of ingenuity, there's always a work around to come out with something really beautiful and emotional. And that's one of the pleasures of working in a prison, is that you've got to really rely on your imagination and your ability to hit a road bump and find a way around it.”

Don’t miss this inspiring discussion with two artists and educators who successfully adapted their teaching to the prison workaround, then connected with students on a human level, ultimately triggering their capability to “see fascination everywhere.” 

Guests: Chantal Zakari & Nigel Poor

For more information on our guests and the gear they use, see: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/pictures-from-the-inside-seeing-fascination-everywhere-with-chantal-zakari

Top shot courtesy of Nigel Poor and the San Quentin State Prison Museum, with thanks to former Warden Ron Davis and retired Lieutenant Sam Robinson

Stay Connected:

Chantal Zakari Website: https://www.thecorner.net/chantal-zakari Chantal Zakari Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/show.n.tll/

Chantal Zakari’s Pictures from the Outside book: https://www.thecorner.net/picturesfromtheoutside

Tufts University Prison Initiative (TUPIT): https://sites.tufts.edu/tupit/overview/

 

Nigel Poor Website: https://nigelpoor.com/

Nigel Poor Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nigelpoor/

Nigel Poor’s San Quentin Prison Project: https://nigelpoor.com/project/san-quentin/

Nigel Poor’s San Quentin Prison Project book: https://aperture.org/books/the-san-quentin-project/

Ear Hustle Podcast website: https://www.earhustlesq.com/

This is Ear Hustle book: https://sites.prh.com/thisisearhustle

Mount Tamalpais College: https://www.mttamcollege.edu/