Estrella Jail inmates find a voice to tell their stories through Gammage’s Journey Home program

Article and photos by Skylar Mason

This article was written for The State Press and published on April 5, 2016.

A young woman, probably in her late twenties or early thirties, takes a few nervous steps toward the audience. Tattoos cover her arms and neck, and “SHERIFF’S INMATE- UNSENTENCED” is printed in bold red letters across her black-and-white striped uniform. She clears her throat, glances around the room and begins to sing.

“I’m not the average girl from the video / And I ain’t tan like a supermodel / But I’ve learned to love myself unconditionally / Because I am a queen,” she sings.

Her voice starts quietly, then builds as the women around her smile in support. When she finishes the song, 12 other inmates join her in a circle and take turns reciting lines in a group poem about self-worth and community.

This isn’t a normal event at Estrella Jail, a Maricopa County facility that houses approximately 1,000 inmates, predominantly female. On Saturday afternoon, the 13 inmates gathered to present their capstone performance as a part of Journey Home, an arts residency program facilitated through ASU Gammage.

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The Acting Company to bring two touring productions to the Valley with company’s first all-black cast

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The tour includes performances of Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar’ as well as a new play about the life and assassination of Malcolm X, titled ‘X’

By Skylar Mason

The cast of "X Or, Betty Shabazz v. The Nation," by Marcus Gardley, directed by Ian Belknap. Produced by The Acting Company

Photo courtesy of T Charles Erickson

This article was written for The State Press and published on Jan. 31, 2017.

In the midst of a tumultuous transition of political power, the arts have a unique ability to put today’s events into the context of history.

That is the belief of The Acting Company, a New York City-based theater company bringing its two latest productions to the Valley this week: Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” and Marcus Gardley’s new play about the assassination of Malcolm X, titled “X.”

Lisa Gutting, The Acting Company’s director of education and development, said at their core, the two productions—while set in completely different time periods—have similar themes.

“There are interesting connections on … why a man rising to power is being taken down in an assassination (and) the conspiracy theories that then come forth,” she said. “We hope the audience will make connections to what they’ve seen onstage and want to know more, to do their own historical digging into both Julius Caesar and Malcolm X.”

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Making strides: How ASU’s Museum of Walking creates art through movement

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Associate art professor Angela Ellsworth brings her interest in contemplative walks to campus

Article and photo by Skylar Mason

This article was written for The State Press and published on Nov. 11, 2016.

Every day thousands of students rush from one end of campus to the other — whether on foot, skateboard or bicycle. They bump into and swerve around one another, many plugged in and listening to music or scrolling through Instagram while they move. It’s easy to fall into the motions and spend the lengthy commute preoccupied with a hundred distractions.

What if everyone took a moment to pause, set down their phones and pay attention to the simple act of walking?

Associate art professor Angela Ellsworth established the Museum of Walking at ASU to explore that question and more.

“We’re living in a time where everything is so fast,” she said. “We’re pulled in different directions from our phones, computers and all these devices that are constantly pulling and throwing things at us. Our environment is doing that too. So I feel that more than ever, (it’s important) to return and pay attention to our bodies and slow down.”

Ellsworth co-founded the Museum of Walking in the spring of 2014 with intermedia student Steven J. Yazzie as a way of combining their backgrounds in the arts with their interest in movement and contemplative walking. Yazzie graduated from ASU in 2014 and went on to focus on digital video projects, so Ellsworth has since taken over responsibilities as the museum’s director.

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