As part of GivingTuesday, we’re spotlighting Vivian Bauer, an artist and linguist, sharing her experience as a pARTner penpal and the impact that building meaningful connections over a shared love of art has had on her life.
It was a gift from Alberto Nunez, a Justice Arts Coalition (JAC) artist. Vivian corresponded with Alberto for about a year through JAC’s pARTner Project, which brings together creatives inside and outside of prison. In Vivian’s words, “My best friend, Maia, was an intern at JAC when she brought me along to a JAC holiday letter writing party in 2020. A few months later I became connected with Alberto through the pARTner Project.”
Penpalling felt exciting and challenging for Vivian at first. It was her first time communicating with an incarcerated person; she often attended JAC Correspondence meetings to familiarize herself with prison mail rules and what to write. Hopping on zoom calls and heading into the office to connect with other JAC volunteers made the process a lot easier.
“I didn’t really know what to expect but I trusted my friend and leaned on the staff. Everyone had helpful insight like using only black ballpoint ink and being assertive about values and boundaries when corresponding,” said Vivian.
After some time, Vivian and Alberto got into a rhythm of exchange. They bonded over a love of art history; Vivian had studied linguistics and art history in her undergraduate program and Alberto was continually experimenting with new processes, mediums, and styles. She had even bought a deck of figures in art history to share and unpack their perspectives and understanding of different movements and historical figures. Vivian would shuffle through the deck, pick a card, and send it along to Alberto with art history questions and pictures she took using her Nikon camera throughout the day. Alberto would respond to the questions and often paint a portrait based on the pictures.
Eventually, Alberto was moved to a different facility, making communication with him challenging as he acclimated to the new environment and programs. During this time, Vivian was making her own moves as well, becoming a 2021 Thomas J. Watson Fellow, and gained a new pARTner, JAC artist Robert Odom. “The connection is really different but still so meaningful,” she shared. “My mom would take pictures of Robert’s artwork so I could keep up with correspondence while I was traveling to Lusophone countries. He loved hearing about the program I was in to document alternative art spaces,” she said. “I remember him sharing how blown away he was about a school I was visiting in East Timor, it was a free art school called Arte Moris that provided housing and art classes for local youth.”
Vivian believes art is both political and affirmational, and quickly connected with Robert and his work that strives to spur dialogues around race and Black historical figures. During the 2020 uprisings against police violence, Robert created a piece titled Say Their Names, which features the names of people who were murdered by police written on a US flag. Vivian had the opportunity to see it in person at JAC’s exhibition at the Sandy Spring Museum, Incarceration and Creation: Art as a Human Need.
As a seasoned pARTner of over two years, Vivian imparted that it’s vital for pARTners to “…be curious!”. She shared, “go in with an open mind and ask questions about their process and what they hope to make. Let go of any stress and stigma, it gets in the way of having a more genuine connection with artists. You should attend JAC events like I did – ask questions and talk with people who are also communicating with people inside.”
Vivian credits JAC with jumpstarting the way for her to find her artistic voice. Alberto and Robert would consistently ask her what she’s creating and encourage her along the way, but she never quite thought of herself as an artist until recently. She started experimenting with photography, jewelry making, and archival works exploring what making art accessible looks like outside of the mainstream art world. On what’s next for Vivian: “I think it’s time to add another pARTner because I really miss handwritten letters. I have so many more art history cards I want to share.”
You can view more of Alberto Nunez’s work here and Robert Odom’s work here or on instagram @robertsprisonblues.
Please consider a donation to JAC to help sustain more creative partnerships!