DJC x UMAW IIP: Update #3

Oct 20

Greetings everyone!

It’s Ted (DJC Volunteer Coordinator) here with an update on the ongoing DJC x UMAW Instruments Into Prisons campaign!

Fall has begun since our last update and folks have been racing back on tour, into jobs, school semesters, etc. Capacities have been more limited both in terms of our donor pool and volunteers behind the scenes here - but we remain steadfast and dedicated to the IIP effort!

As ever - we are still accepting donations, please fill out our intake form and share with your people!

Specific Gear We Are Seeking:
Amps - guitar, bass, keyboard (20-30 watt)
Soprano sax
Bass guitars
10’ powered monitors
Drum kit (in Birmingham Alabama area)
Conga skins
iPads
Mixing headphones (with 1/8” to 1/4” in. adapter)
Drum machines
Stackable microphone stands (Pro-R-SB)

Drum pieces for San Quentin: (exact brands not necessary)
Drum Workshop 5000 Series Saddle-Seat (DWCP5120)
Drum Workshop Dual Chain Bass Drum Pedal (DWCP3000)
Gibraltar 5-Piece Stand Stand Pack (9701PK)
Tama Dbl. Braced Snare Drum Stand (HS60W)
Tama Dual Tom Holder (MTH600)

PRISON UPDATES

We’ve successfully donated gear inside of a few new facilities since our last update. Some of these have been in the works for a long while. Patience has been key in working through communication and logistics between donors and the facility staff.

BIRMINGHAM WOMEN’S COMMUNITY BASED INSTITUTION (BIRMINGHAM, AL)

With the help of a IIP donor, Brandon Hayes, as well as DJC affiliated artist, Tameca Cole - we delivered our first item to BWCBI - a work release facility. This is the first women’s institution that we’ve donated to thus far.

THE GREEN HILL SCHOOL (CHEHALIS, WA)

We’ve steadily continued our donation stream to The Green Hill School youth facility, including an in-person ukulele delivery from a local donor, Leah Crosby.

We have some exciting news in the works with this facility, as we have initiated discussion with staff about planning a livestream performance featuring the talents of the musicians on the inside.

SAN QUENTIN STATE PRISON (SAN QUENTIN, CA)

We’ve officially initiated our donation stream to San Quentin with the first item being shipped to them earlier in September. We hope to continue this effort in part with assistance from the UMAW LA local branch.

LANSING CORRECTIONAL FACILITY (LANSING, KS)

Our first donation to Lansing Correctional has been initiated via a generous donation from New York’s D’Angelico guitars. This excellent guitar will make its way to the hands of deserving musicians through programming with Musicambia - an organization dedicated to providing music workshops and education to prisons in the US and abroad.

Looking forward, we have initiated talks with a contact at Columbia River Correctional Institution in the Portland, Oregon area. It’s looking promising that we’ll have our first donation headed there soon. We’ve also had an initial conversation with the Director of Fine and Performing Arts over at Rikers Island in NYC to discuss a donation stream there as well. We will see where that leads - especially given the tumultuous conditions in that facility currently.

*Volunteer Brandon Hayes and DJC affiliated visual artist Tameca Cole make a delivery to Birmingham Community Based Institution.*

GEAR UPDATES

After convening with Birmingham Community Based Institution facility staff, Chaplain Presley and Captain Bryan Riggins (head of security/music program), I determined that the first priority would be to fulfill a PA system and four-channel mixer for the choir - the primary musical outlet in the facility. This would allow soloists to shine through the powerful volume of the ensemble. The potential to build out a full backing-band set-up with donations (keys/guitars/drums) will follow.

Early on, Brandon Hayes, a Birmingham local and past IIP donor (who very generously redistributed his electric guitar to Oshkosh Correctional, and mixing headphones to San Quentin) asked to get involved with our campaign. His enthusiasm led me to seek out facilities in the Birmingham area - that is how I found BCBI in the first place. It was excellent to have Brandon’s assistance on the ground in the city to receive our gear securely and then team up with Tameca Cole (a DJC affiliated visual artist) to make an in-person delivery. This was a particularly significant occasion as Cole herself spent two years at this very work release facility during her time served in the Alabama prison system. After making the delivery, Tameca shared, “I was very glad to be a part of the experience and to help provide others inside with the same opportunities as I had when it comes to creative expression.” It was during Cole’s time at BCBI that she made the now well-known collage “Locked in Dark Calm,” which made its museum debut at last year’s “Marking Time” exhibition at MoMA PS1.

ARKANSAS VALLEY NATIVE GROUP UPDATE

In our last update, we mentioned using donor funds to send a Native American-style drum and shaker to the Native group inside of Arkansas Valley Correctional facility. We recently received a beautiful thank you message from the group, featuring the artwork of E. Brokencoyote. Brokencoyote’s calligraphy and artwork are part of Territorial’s new album Tlaxihuiqui, which was recently featured in the Washington Post.

In an accompanying letter, Eddie shared a few words about his artwork, which features pen, ink and colored pencil: “...the white buffalo is sacred to most Natives. Also (depending upon the tribe) the colors represent the four directions in which the exact center represents balance.” He also shared that, around the fall solstice, the Native group observed the changing of the seasons in a ceremonial sweat lodge. “Of course we utilized our much loved drum and rattle,” he added - a powerful testament to the impact of our efforts with the IIP drive.

The Premier Ludlow guitar from D’Angelico Guitars of New York

D’ANGELICO GUITAR & MUSICAMBIA COLLABORATION

New York’s D’Angelico Guitars very generously donated one of their electrics, a “Premier Ludlow” with Seymour Duncan P90 pickups - an excellent instrument designed with an emphasis on playability and tone that could come in handy for players of all skill levels. As mentioned previously, the guitar has been sent to the musicians at Lansing Correctional in Kansas through Musicambia programming. About the donation, Ryan Kershaw, VP of Bond Audio (parent company of D’Angelico) shared “Music has the power to change lives and lift the spirit, and we are honored to participate in the nurture that Musicambia provides through music-making opportunities.”

Musicambia are working in partnership with the University of Missouri Kansas City with 25-35 incarcerated men for their programming at Lansing. According to Musicambia Exec. Director, Jessie Kilguss, “The program begins in a five-day songwriting workshop led by Musicambia's Founder Nathan Schram and Program Director Elliot Cole along with one UMKC professor and three UMKC students. After the initial 5-day workshop, the team from UMKC will return twice a month to teach a 3-hour long music workshop modeled after our program at Sing Sing."

The guitar was shipped directly to Program Director Elliot Cole, who personally delivered it to the facility. Exec. Director Jessie Kilguss shared the following statement, “Musicambia is so grateful to Die Jim Crow for donating this beautiful D'Angelico guitar to our Lansing Program. The program ran last week and the guitar is deeply appreciated. We all greatly admire the work that Die Jim Crow has been doing and it's meaningful to partner with like-minded organizations when opportunities present themselves. We hope to find more ways to work with Die Jim Crow in the future.”

COALITION BUILDING

UMAW LA

As of early October, the UMAW LA Local Branch officially launched their horizontal engagement with the IIP Drive. Their intention is to concentrate on the San Quentin donation stream as well as to initiate a more localized gear drive effort to the Los Angeles / SoCal area. I intend to continue to serve as a liaison to this effort and to attend UMAW LA meetings as this effort progresses.

MUSICAMBIA

Our initial collaboration with Musicambia as a means to donate the D’Angelico guitar inside of Lansing Correctional led to a separate discussion with Executive Director Jessie Kilguss. We hope to continue a partnership with the organization moving forward as a means to serve the musicians in the programs that they run in more facilities across the US!

THAT’S ALL, FOLKS

There you have it! The goal remains slow but steady progress here, building connections and a sturdy network with volunteers and partner organizations along the way. Please continue to fill out our intake form if you (or a friend) have an item to redistribute to a musician on the inside. You can find a list to the items we are specifically in need of here. And even if not donating an instrument, feel free to donate monetarily for the purposes of covering shipping costs and additional, niche, gear purchases.

Until next update, thank you to our donors, volunteers, UMAW team and all of the supporters to this initiative - especially those on the inside whose resilience and relentless creative spirit in the face of adversity remains the lifeblood of this cause.

Onward!