Welcome back to our Q&A series with Mark Loughney. With the great feedback and follower interaction so far, we've been submitting more questions to Mark. Thank you to everyone who has been taking an active interest in our project. Read more from Mark below...

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How has COVID-19 affected life in prison?

Prisons are locked down because of the pandemic. That means that prisoners are allowed out of their cells for an hour a day to make a phone call and exercise. It's probably difficult to envision, but the remainder of the day is spent locked up with another man in a space that is too small for even one man. Also, the toilet and sink are in the cell. The toilet's flush mechanism is on a timer, so it can only flush once every five minutes...so using the toilet with another person just inches away is challenging! Visits have been cancelled and there is no definitive date for reinstatement, but video visitation seems to be taking the place of contact visits. Also, all dental and medical procedures have been put on hold since April. But its really not all doom and gloom for me personally. My prison's administration is doing a great job at keeping the virus from entering and spreading through the population, which is the most important factor in all this. Let's be honest, it sucks for everyone in the world right now. Naturally, it just happens to suck much worse for people in prison. That goes for pandemic times and halcyon times alike.

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What role can art play in challenging social narratives and changing perceptions?

I think that visual art as a medium has a special way of sneaking into situations and people's lives, and it brings with it to the conversation the issues portrayed in its subject matter. Because of art's unique way of becoming a vehicle for headier issues than just aesthetics, it can be (and has been) used to bring messages across barriers. With art, I can send a message to an audience who would never give a damn about hearing me speak the message or write or scream the message. People like things that others like... solely because others like it. (Have you ever seen a Luis Vuitton bag? nothing special.) So for instance, the installation at MoMA PSl is going to elicit interest in people who would never have given a thought to the issues of mass incarceration or prison reform. But because it's at MoMA PSl , who obviously know their stuff, people will give credence to it. And when they stand in front of the piece, they will then be challenged to think of those issues. And perhaps their perception will change. And when people change, mankind changes... so maybe at that point we'll see some change in the narrative. As a guy below the salt, visual art is my only means to reach the people above the salt.

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What makes it so important for a non-incarcerated public to visualise your subjects? 

One of the main goals of prison is to erase people. Try to think of what preconceived notions we might have about what it means to go away to prison. When a person goes to prison he/ she is "gone". You don 't hear from them, you don't hear about them, of them. My case is much different solely because of a loving family and support team whose help make it possible. Without them, I'd be catching cockroaches all day. So to be able to have a purpose in life(which is every artist's purpose: to make art that other people see) is hugely important to me. To my subjects, it is sometimes the thing that turns their day from being completely awful int o a day with hope that there is a group of people outside these walls that see them as a human being.

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Is your art primarily directed at a non-incarcerated public? What does it offer to your fellow inmates? 

Yes, my art is for the world at large . Actually, I've never thought about this before. Let me answer the second part of this question first. I think that what it offers my fellow inmates is a chance to actively participate in doing something to "fight back" against an oppressive system. Its difficult to empower one's self in here... so even little things like sitting for a twenty minute portrait that will bring awareness to prison reform is a big deal for us. Plus, I give the sitter five copies of the original, so that always sweetens the deal. About the target audience for my work... YOU are my target audience!

 

Is it difficult to find time to paint?  

Prior to the lockdown it was. In normal operation times I have to work full time here, so I had to juggle that. But now I have time to paint and draw in the cell. However, because of the lockdown, I don' t have access to the whole prison population. I can only do sittings with the guys on my block, so my other bodies of work have been getting my attention lately. I'm definitely staying very busy! This morning I painted a bunch of fish with snorkels in their mouths.

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Is it easier or harder getting to know your sitter within the prison setting? 

I really can' t compare it to doing sittings at home, because I started doing them while incarcerated. It is the only setting in which I've ever done them. Some of my subjects I know well. Lately, most I only know from the 15-20 minutes we sit without speaking as I draw.

 

Where do you get your supplies from?

Prison policy allows me to buy supplies from Blick Art Materials, but the quantity, size and items I'm allowed to get are with in super tight parameters. Its nothing like being able to shop for supplies at will. I have to fill out forms for approval, get signatures, and go through a whole bunch of bureaucracy to get the order sent out. Then it takes about 3 months to get the meagre order of supplies.

 

How can we help you? 

This question really touched my heart! Thank you for that! So, there are a few ways you can help: (1)Spread the word. Tell your friends, share on social media! (2)pray for America (3)Write to me! Mail is a much welcome lifeline to the world and a break from the tedium of prison life. I'd love to hear from fellow artists! Here's the address in USA:

SMARTCOMMUNICATIONS/ PADOC

SCI-Dallas

Mark Loughney #LD9287

P.O. Box33028

St. Petersburg,FL33733

[white or manila envelopes only, must have a return address, no stickers or glitter. you can send up to 25 photos]

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Is your work exhibited within the prison? 

Kind of. I designed and painted a twenty meter mural in the main corridor here that depicts a scene of freedom through change. It's approximately two and a half by twenty meters. On the left are black and white striped volcanoes that spew transparent blobs that travel to the right along a night scene of spongiform trees. As the mural progresses to the right, the scene turns from night to day and the blobs transform into birds. The background becomes geometric and chunks of the wall seem to slide away as the birds break off and out of the picture plane. They fly above the mural on the otherwise blank wall, and go right out a nearby window. I took a lot of flack from guards as I was painting that, because it depicts freedom. Also, because I think closed minds aren't very skilled at interpreting something they've never seen before. Since it wasn't easily recognisable as a sports star or game animal, they were quick to make fun and dismiss it as trash. I'm sure it will get painted over soon! Whatever. That is the only piece here on display.

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Has your social media helped spread these images to a non-incarcerated public and what response have you observed to your art on there?

Yes, it definitely has. I don't have a website yet, so social media is the only web presence I have. Although I have a small following, my peeps are high quality folks, so I've been very fortunate in that regard. lnstagram and Facebook are where I can get much needed feedback on my work. Although nobody is going to come right out and say, " that piece sucks and this is why", I can generally tell how well a piece works by the number of likes I get on it. But I crave honest critiques, which are just nonexistent in my world at the moment, so I have to gauge how successful a color scheme or composition is by the response I get on social media. And I'm very lucky to have a social media admin (my mom... Hi mom!) who takes the time to get my work up and posted and then tells me how things go. Otherwise, I'd be completely in the dark about my audience ... I wouldn't even have an audience, actually. So please feel free to completely tear apart and critique any of my pieces that don't work! That is the only way that we can get better as artists. If our audience pretends to like all our work just because we did it, our art suffers. One thing I think is worth mentioning is that I've never seen lnstagram as a free man. Yesterday was the first time I ever saw a glimpse of it and it was on a video screen during a video visit. My mother held up her phone for me to get a peek. I don't have access to the internet in any form, so reaching out to an audience, staying hip to all the latest trends and art, news on the art scene...i ts all fed to me very late and piecemeal. Just last week I found out that the re was a movie a couple years ago and a big Hollywood production call ed Heebie Jeebies. I've been calling a character of mine Heebie Jeebie for years now...and now I have to change the name! I would have been in formed about something like that if I had access to information that I once took for granted. Overall , the response on social media has been very helpful and, so far, all positive.

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Please keep the questions coming! Thank you for your interest in these issues and in my work. I'm honored to be speaking to you in this way!

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