In the News
Prisoners Make Pottery Pay Back
Sale Benefits Social Services
By Carolyn Lorie, Valley News Staff Writer
Reprinted with permission from The Valley News
Windsor—Prison isn't necessarily a place bereft of opportunities. Inmates can avail themselves of classes to earn their high school diplomas or workshops where they can pick up a trade. There are libraries and weight rooms and gardens to tend.
What there is precious little of is the chance to be generous and to give for the sake of giving. But with the guidance of a teacher and the presence of a potter's wheel and a need in the community, the women at the Southeast State Correctional Facility have been given that chance.
Today, the staff at the Upper Valley Haven, a shelter for homeless families in White River Junction, will raise money by selling bowls made by the inmates.
“It just gives me personally more of a sense of worth that I'm trying to give back,” said Tammy Davis, a 48-year-old serving the last days of a three-year sentence. “It's good knowing it's going to a good cause. It gives me chills."
Barbara Henzel, resource coordinator at The Haven, said the idea of selling bowls was inspired by the Empty Bowl Project—a national organization that raises money and awareness through the sale of bowls.
The pottery is meant to be a reminder of the hunger plaguing so many people around the world. The money raised this weekend will be used for The Haven's food shelf, a resource used by about 350 families a month. “It's more people than we've ever seen. Ever,” said Henzel. And the people using it are often working families whose paychecks aren't enough to stock their cabinets, she added.
Pottery teacher Barbara Davis, who is not related to Tammy Davis, began offering classes at the prison last year. When she suggested to the women that they donate their work to The Haven, the response was an unconditional, “Yes."
"They just flew with it,” said Barbara Davis. “They are very compassionate people. Some of them have had some very rough times, so they understand compassion."
The project began about six months ago and when Henzel arrived on Tuesday there was a shelf lined with bowls of every color: azure blue, forest green, earthen brown. Sarah Beaulibu, 37, of Williston, was among the potters who donated her work.
"It feels nice to be able to make something while I'm here for others that are in need,” she said. The bowls, she added, are of a different breed than those that come off a production line: Each woman etched her character into the work.
Women who come to the class, located in the corner of one of the prison's many buildings, often do so with hesitation, said Davis. But as skills improve and the seemingly intractable clay transforms into a vase or a bowl or a plate, the hesitation dissipates. “It changes from, ‘I can't’ to ‘I can,’ ” said Davis.
It's a process Mark Lather, the prison's vocational education instructor, is familiar with.
"So many (of the women) are natural artists and so many have not had the opportunity to be creative,” he said.
Henzel said excitement over the project has extended beyond the razor-wire fence, with people in the community eager to purchase the women's work. Some who are unable to attend have even asked Henzel to make purchases on their behalf, she added.
After this experience, giving back is something 20-year-old Joellen Holland can imagine doing when her time in jail is up. The bowl project, she said, made her happy, gave her pride and stirred thoughts about the destination of her work.
"Maybe someday I'll see it out there,” said Holland.
The bowl sale will be held today from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at the Upper Valley Haven on Hartford Avenue (Route 5 between Route 14 and Wilder) in White River Junction.
Carolyn Lori can be reached at clorie@vnews.com or (603) 727-3220.