Written by Maleah Holder

For inmates housed at Hamilton County Jail, previously named Silverdale Detention Center, one small mark drawn on a page can be the key to improving mental health during incarceration and lowering the rate of reoffense. Mark Making, founded by local artist Frances McDonald, is one of many organizations that work hard to reduce the recidivism among inmates.

Silverdale, before becoming Hamilton County Jail, had a dangerous reputation and held a high rate of recidivism or reoffending at 36%. Assault and overdose were also on the rise before the change in staff. 

As new staff took over, local artists and journalists were fascinated to take a look into the old downtown jail in a way none had seen before including local art group ArtsBuild in partnership with Andy Ramirez, a budding photographer. The history of Silverdale was publicized through works such as Ramirez’s exhibit “Art from the Inside”, but Mark Making chose to focus on the future of the inmates themselves. 

Executive Director Frances McDonald built her organization Mark Making on the foundation of creative expression and empowerment of underprivileged individuals in 2009. She and her team of facilitators are focused on helping the local jail address reformation and reoffense rates through that empowered creativity.

Mark Making is a non-profit composed of several local artists called facilitators, or paid artists, that come together at Hamilton County Jail, underfunded schools and behavioral therapy research centers such as Helen Ross McNabb.  These facilitators led by McDonald teach free art classes to encourage the inmates to open up about the more difficult experiences they have faced in a constructive way.

In one such art prompt, McDonald challenged inmates to recreate the scene of their arrest, leading to pieces full of contrast and stark honesty. McDonald also states that, “…the inmates…are not allowed to criticize each other or be judgmental with themselves or with other people.” 

She and the facilitators understand that much of what the inmates are going through requires quiet or nonverbal processing, and these art projects give them the safe space to address any personal conflict they may desire to face. 

Mark Making is also set apart from other similar organizations by the fact that it is one of only a handful of secular groups that hold classes at the jail. The organization is not faith-based, leaving room for focusing on other methods of recovery such as the type or subject of the art the inmates create. 

Due to the unique secularity of this organization, Mark Making has seen a high demand for a seat in classes, encouraging inmates to remain on their best behavior in order to participate once their name is placed on the waitlist. 

Those who teach the classes encourage self-expression rather than the typical artistic skill many art classes push. By advocating for self-expression and individuality, McDonald leaves room for opportunity post-incarceration as inmates reenter society through jobs in public mural creation and other jobs focused on expression within the community. 

This leads to a lowered rate of recidivism. She goes on to state, “…what I noticed was that these guys that were doing a lot of art, were involved in the arts, weren’t reoffending. And that’s the big goal…”. 

The high demand for a spot in class has kept the organization active and in business. McDonald sees a secure future for Mark Making due to its popularity and the values she and other facilitators encourage when teaching.

When speaking on the overall impact she has seen in these art projects led by her organization, McDonald stated, “They’re controlling what we see. It’s ownership, they’re owning how we feel about our city through these images. I just thought that was the coolest thing I had ever observed and I wanted to spend time doing that… It gave me a way to hopefully make my mark.”

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The Unseen Walls

Written by Olivia Smith

While exploring the crumbling concrete walls and rusting metal doors of the Hamilton County Justice Building, local artist groups realized the graffitied walls told a story the world deserved to see. 

With permission from Hamilton County, ArtsBuild, a private nonprofit arts council in Hamilton County, and a group of stakeholders oversaw Andy Ramirez, a documentary photographer as he produced a photo series called “Art From the Inside.”

“Within those walls were poems, doodles, confessions, and murals—all testaments to the human spirit,” Ramirez said.

“Art From the Inside” allowed Ramirez to show the world an unfiltered look into prison, a place most will never face or even see. Ramirez mentions that while he would love to continue producing prison photography, he doesn’t see another opportunity like this arising in the future. 

“The challenge with projects like this is that most facilities are hesitant to reveal the current state of their operations,” Ramirez said. “There are various reasons for this reluctance, both justified and otherwise.” 

Ramirez spends his career focusing on the unseen and rejected. His frustration with discriminatory social orders drives him to show the lives of the people not always shown in the mainstream media. 

“In Chattanooga, there’s a noticeable racial and socio-economic divide.” Ramirez said, “So the internal struggle of being a young Latino male in an environment where you don’t always feel welcome, has directly shaped my work. That’s why I primarily focus on marginalized groups and counter-culture movements as the main subjects of my work.

Ramirez celebrated the inmates’ artwork of the old county jail and will continue to cover traditionally overlooked communities through his work in documentary photography. 

“I hope this project serves as a reminder that even in the bleakest of surroundings, the human spirit persists,” Ramirez said. “Its voice demands to be heard.”

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