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Print This StoryBehind Bars, Pricey 'Public' Artwork In Prisons
POSTED: 5:37 p.m. PDT July 10, 2003
Chris Halsne
KIRO 7 Eyewitness News Investigative Reporter High-dollar, high-flying birds gracing the ceiling of a state penitentiary -- Is this "public art" or a waste of money? Despite tough economic times for the state of Washington, you'll see no cutbacks in artwork for prisons. If you know a felon housed at the Stafford Creek Corrections Center near Aberdeen, you can see a $200,000 flock of acrylic birds. They just went up, paid for with your tax dollars.
You can't exactly take your family to see this public arts project. Amber and blue birds, 17 indigenous species in various stages of flight, soar along inside our state's newest prisoner visiting room.
Prison chief Doug Wadington helped choose the sculptures, entitled "Migration."
Halsne: "What benefit are the birds to this institution?"
Wadington: "What benefit are the birds? Uh, it's a public arts project in terms of, we, uh, what's the benefit of public art?" Michelle Zahrly represents the Washington Arts Commission, which oversaw the $200,000 project. "The piece is a directionally accurate compass point. It' s a consideration of life beyond the Stafford Creek Correction Center," Zahrly said. "That's nice," say most taxpayers we talked with. But the problem is lawmakers were just forced to save prison money by releasing inmates and cutting prison guards. $200,000 for birds that few citizens can view seems at best unnecessary. "I am on my way to a teachers conference. Our class sizes are being cut the budgets been so low. That's really disturbing to hear that where money is being spent," said one person we spoke with. "No way, man. Huh? 200,0000? Wow. In a prison?" said another taxpayer. "I think it's ridiculous to decorate a prison when we can't afford to keep our prisoners in," said a third. Stafford Creek was built in 1998, a $193 million project. Washington's "arts law" says one-half of one percent of that cost must be spent on artwork. The law doesn't require it be spent on artwork inside barbed wire. Halsne: "Could it not be used better for this prison and programs somewhere else?"
Warden Wadington: "You know, that's not something I'm going to have a discussion with you about." Halsne: "We need a building. We need cells. We don't need birds."
Michelle Zahrly, of the Arts Commission: "It can be argued that in building a correctional facility, you know, you need windows, but you also need the more humanizing aspect of something." KIRO Team 7 Investigators discovered that $200,000 acrylic birds and wire are not the only art money being used inside prisons. In the past four years, the Arts Commission spent another $200,000 adorning the interiors of prisons -- places not accessible to the public. I've also learned the spending isn't over. The Arts Commission as budgeted three-quarters of a million dollars from the Stafford Creek prison construction budget this year. Some of the art projects will be place in public areas in Hoquiam and Aberdeen. Contact Rep. Hans Dunshee, who's trying to get the arts law changed
KIRO 7 Eyewitness News Investigative Reporter High-dollar, high-flying birds gracing the ceiling of a state penitentiary -- Is this "public art" or a waste of money? Despite tough economic times for the state of Washington, you'll see no cutbacks in artwork for prisons. If you know a felon housed at the Stafford Creek Corrections Center near Aberdeen, you can see a $200,000 flock of acrylic birds. They just went up, paid for with your tax dollars.
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Wadington: "What benefit are the birds? Uh, it's a public arts project in terms of, we, uh, what's the benefit of public art?" Michelle Zahrly represents the Washington Arts Commission, which oversaw the $200,000 project. "The piece is a directionally accurate compass point. It' s a consideration of life beyond the Stafford Creek Correction Center," Zahrly said. "That's nice," say most taxpayers we talked with. But the problem is lawmakers were just forced to save prison money by releasing inmates and cutting prison guards. $200,000 for birds that few citizens can view seems at best unnecessary. "I am on my way to a teachers conference. Our class sizes are being cut the budgets been so low. That's really disturbing to hear that where money is being spent," said one person we spoke with. "No way, man. Huh? 200,0000? Wow. In a prison?" said another taxpayer. "I think it's ridiculous to decorate a prison when we can't afford to keep our prisoners in," said a third. Stafford Creek was built in 1998, a $193 million project. Washington's "arts law" says one-half of one percent of that cost must be spent on artwork. The law doesn't require it be spent on artwork inside barbed wire. Halsne: "Could it not be used better for this prison and programs somewhere else?"
Warden Wadington: "You know, that's not something I'm going to have a discussion with you about." Halsne: "We need a building. We need cells. We don't need birds."
Michelle Zahrly, of the Arts Commission: "It can be argued that in building a correctional facility, you know, you need windows, but you also need the more humanizing aspect of something." KIRO Team 7 Investigators discovered that $200,000 acrylic birds and wire are not the only art money being used inside prisons. In the past four years, the Arts Commission spent another $200,000 adorning the interiors of prisons -- places not accessible to the public. I've also learned the spending isn't over. The Arts Commission as budgeted three-quarters of a million dollars from the Stafford Creek prison construction budget this year. Some of the art projects will be place in public areas in Hoquiam and Aberdeen. Contact Rep. Hans Dunshee, who's trying to get the arts law changed
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