Freedom to create: Salinas Valley State Prison mural artists

Where some would see thousands of square feet of gray prison walls, a group of artists at Salinas Valley State Prison saw blank canvases. With the support of staff and enthusiasm to change their environment, incarcerated artists joined forces to create colorful, beautiful, and meaningful murals throughout the institution.
Those supporters include Associate Warden Veronica Lomeli, a lifelong art enthusiast with an outlook aligned with the California Model’s foundational pillar of normalization - creating prison environments that more closely resemble the community. Lomeli, now at Central California Women’s Facility, started the mural program during her time at the Soledad prison in an effort to reduce violence by creating a more welcoming environment.
“I decided to bring my love and passion for the arts into my workplace. I love to see a gray wall be transformed into a beautiful piece of art,” she said. “Bringing something you love into your workplace makes humans motivated and enthusiastic to go to work and creates a sense of loyalty toward the organization.”
In this episode of the CDCR Unlocked podcast, Lomeli and two of the artists - Manny Frias and Santiago Madrigal - share the origins of the project and its impact on the prison. They also express gratitude to the prison’s staff and leadership for supporting the murals and welcoming the positive changes happening at Salinas Valley State Prison.