The N.C. Correctional Institution for Women is an ugly place. Squat, red-brick buildings; tall, razor-wire fences; guards and gatehouses make for a gray landscape. But one woman has found beauty in this drab environment -- a beauty that she says is helping her to become a better person.
Renee Morton looked at the projection slides laid out on the table and smiled. They are pictures of works of art she has done, one of which won her first place in the N.C. Department of Correction's art contest last year.
"I've always admired art," said Morton, 44, who is serving a 35-year sentence on drug charges. "I basically taught myself. It takes a lot of time, concentration and development. It takes a lot of energy, too."
Morton's work, brightly colored portraits of smiling family and friends done with colored pencils or paint, doesn't reflect her grim surroundings. But it does reflect is the artist's increased confidence and sense of self-worth.
"Art has helped me to better my train of thought," she said. "It's helped my ability and my capability."
The therapeutic powers of art have long been recognized in prison systems around the country. Now various organizations are latching on to the idea that art can help rehabilitate prisoners and are using it to help the community at large.
"Art improves inmates, and if you improve inmates they are better citizens when they get out," said Lynne Vantriglia, founder of Art Behind Bars, a nonprofit organization in Key West, Fla., that helps inmates use art as a form of community service.
