Freedom to create: SVSP mural artists

Where some would see thousands of square feet of gray prison walls, a group of artists at Salinas Valley State Prison saw blank canvases. With the support of staff and enthusiasm to change their environment, incarcerated artists joined forces to create colorful, beautiful, and meaningful murals throughout the institution.

Those supporters include Associate Warden Veronica Lomeli, a lifelong art enthusiast with an outlook aligned with the California Model’s foundational pillar of normalization – creating prison environments that more closely resemble the community. Lomeli, now at Central California Women’s Facility, started the mural program during her time at the Soledad prison in an effort to reduce violence by creating a more welcoming environment.

“I decided to bring my love and passion for the arts into my workplace. I love to see ...