silenced rather than be silent” MONTREAL (CUP) — Peter Collins is an artist and an inmate with lots to say, even from behind bars. His work frankly depicts, and often criticizes, Correctional Services of Canada, where he has served 20 years of a 25-year to life sentence. The one-man exhibit Bound and Gagged: When Art Becomes Contraband has there- fore been. branded as “art that clawed its way out of prison.” Most drawings portray daily prison life (a dejected looking inmate thinks, “Looks like it’s going to be another one of those decades...”), while some go glob- al and speak out against political figures, such as George W. Bush. Collins’ political art satirizes inside and outside abuses of power by accentuating the fine line between social control and public safety. Colourful cartoon characters sprout cynical quota- tion bubbles that are thought and not said. Censorship, it appears, clouds over prison and page. The prisoner’s proverbial ball and chain becomes symbolic in Collins’ work, as the viewer sens- es the strain of free speech. “Without being overly dramatic, I can assure you that the Correctional Services thrives upon secrecy, and the only thing that seems to spur it into action is the possibility of public embar- rassment,” he remarks in a recorded introduction to the show. Although Collins was told it would be in his “best interest’ to shut down the show-and some of his work has been confiscated or censored by prison authorities- he says, “I would prefer to be silenced rather than be silent.” For show organizer Dee LeComte, getting the exhibit open to the public was a lesson in patience that lasted three years. While collecting Collins’ work, LeComte managed to bypass the CSC, but not their censorship. Some of the more political pieces “disappeared,” while others were described as “hate literature.” “An artist’s environment feeds them, it’s their inspiration, so it’s not surprising that Peter’s art reflects his immediate surround- ings,” she explains. LeComte also points out the animal watercolours included in the show, which she hopes will break the stereotype people may have of prisoner art as being racist or perverse. “Art coming out of prisons is beautiful,” she says. “People shouldn’t be threatened by it.” In fact, it’s the artists themselves who might be threatened. “When prisoners express them- selves it’s usually used against them instead of for them,” she explains. Nevertheless, activist art is an important medium of protest, and LeComte wants the public to be able to judge Collins’ work for themselves. “This small voice has escaped the confines of Canada’s prisons and it’s liberating to know that people are looking at some of my work,” Collins concludes in his recorded message. March 10, 2004 | Culture 21 Conjuring up contraband Prison artist would “prefer to be Chicago: The Feminist Version of Striptease By Carolynne Burkholder The Musical Vaudeville of Chicago was one of the most entertaining events I have been to in a long time. I have been a fan of Judy Russell and her Enchainment Dancers since last summer when I went to one of her shows for the first time. I was very excit- ed when I got tickets to see Chicago and it definitely lived up to my expectations. I found the play enjoyable on many levels. Ona pure artistic level the show was absolutely fantastic. The leading roles, played by Catherine Hansen as Velma Kelly, along Maia Brown as Roxie Hart, were done very strongly and believably. The music, as well as the dancing, was absolutely mesmerizing. There were also other aspects of the show I found very appealing. As.a semi-feminist, I absolutely love the plot of the musical along with its strong female lead characters, which are dynamically both charming and villainous. On the other hand, the show was appeal- ing as it featured many young women dressed in sexy, provocative outfits dancing and adding to the overall razzle-dazzle of the show. This was obviously anoth- er drawing feature for the Vaudeville action. I came home psyched to go out shopping for garter belts, stockings, booty shorts, and feather boas, much to my boyfriend's amusement. Chicago certainly seemed to MARK BEST, 8.Com (student) ciate | Galloway Botteselle & Company www. THINKCGA.org Certified General Accountants Association of British Columbia be appreciated by many people for very different rea- sons. I sat behind Dr. Jago and his wife, who defi- nitely appeared to be enjoying the show. In my opin- ion, there was one main weakness to this otherwise excellent musical. The play featured an acting debut by “Andie Hall” playing Mary Sunshine, also known as Andrew Halliday, a well-known violin instructor within the musical society of Prince George. Objectively speaking, he did a good job...1 guess. Personally, I do not understand our society’s fascina- tion with cross-dressing men. I have absolutely no problem with men who enjoy getting dressed up as women, I just do not find this concept as hysterically funny as my counterparts seem to. I found the show in itself to be highly amusing and entertaining, and therefore I felt that the laugh-getting technique of a man playing a woman cheapened the entire effort. Obviously some people found this the best part of the show. I however, was not in that number. Overall, Chicago was an excellent event, and well worth the twenty-five dollars taken from my meager student budget. I would highly recommend any of Judy Russell’s produetions for anyone interested in music, dancing, the arts, and of course, scantily clad women. THINK CGA.