Introducing Life Stories / Voices from inside The Ohio Reformatory for Women

Our Life Stories project features two groups of women serving life or long sentences at the Ohio Reformatory for Women. The storytellers who speak on their journeys and the media crew who capture the intimate stories of their fellow inmates.
The storyteller group worked with Professor Michal Raizen to learn about oral histories, how to draft the list of questions for one another, and the best way to conduct the interviews with each other. The media crew worked with award winning documentarian Nikki Swift on how to properly set up lights, audio, cameras and backdrops to record their ORW sisters in these intimate interviews.
Through generous support from Warden Teri Baldauf and her staff, we were able to put this project completely in the women's hands, giving them the chance to tell their story from their perspective.
Annette Dominguez facilitated this workshop to help create a safe space among the group through an array of social emotional art projects, which really brought the group closer together and to themselves.
The Life Stories exhibit will be on display at ImageOhio in the Shot Gallery at Fort Hayes, from September 16th - October 20th, 2022.