In 2020, AWBW founder Cathy Salser and our program partner Just Detention International (JDI) began a collaboration with incarcerated women and staff at two prisons in South Carolina on a project called #PrisonersToo — using art as a way to address the sexual assault and other trauma they had experienced.

“People who are incarcerated live with so much trauma. But the art workshops help them process difficult feelings — and create a space where they feel safe enough to embark on a path to healing,” shares Linda McFarlane, Executive Director of JDI,

Choosing the butterfly as a symbol of rebirth from trauma, the women created murals to anchor communication, connection and transformation, inviting others in the prisons to contribute their own butterflies of healing.

With staff, the women co-created new practices, including daily journaling and weekly butterfly gatherings that are making a profound impact in both the lives of the participants and the culture of these institutions.

The project also explores ways of inviting inside/outside connection. In the words of one South Carolina Department of Corrections Administrator, “This project is about understanding that people have trauma. We all feel pain, and there’s another way to do corrections. I see this as a method of change, really.”

The mural that began this durational art action  was never “just” an art piece on the wall, but rather an invitation for the staff and the women to address trauma in new ways, transforming each moment, day by day, individually and collectively.

In September of 2022, as a continuation of the #PrisonersToo project, incarcerated women at Leah Correctional Institution for Women had a campus-wide butterfly release ceremony as a next step in releasing trauma and creating change. Learn more through local news coverage of the meaningful event, as well as an article and video featured in a local newspaper.

You can also send a message to the incarcerated survivors on the JDI website.