Colorado Artist Depicts the Reality of Prison Life in Paintings

Colorado is home to numerous prisons, including the notorious ADX Florence, also known as SuperMax, which houses some of the worst criminals alive.

While SuperMax is enormous, it may come as a surprise to find out that the largest men's prison in Colorado is actually way up in the northeast corner of the state in Sterling.

It was at Sterling Correctional Facility that an artist by the name of Sarah McKenzie was inspired to create the works currently hanging in her new exhibit.

Colorado Artist's Work Depicts Prison Life

Sarah McKenzie is an artist hailing from Boulder, Colorado, but spent a considerable amount of time at Sterling Correctional Facility teaching inmates as part of the University of Denver Prison Arts Initiative.

McKenzie's work includes a piece titled, "Some Days the Sky is Just a Ceiling" which depicts the corner of "the yard" at the prison as well as the door through which she would enter and exit.

If you'll notice, the area directly in front of the door is marked by a yellow line. This line indicates the area in which inmates are not allowed to cross in order to ensure the safety of visitors.

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McKenzie's art will be displayed at the Fort Collins Museum of Art in an exhibit called, “To See Inside: Art, Architecture, and Incarceration” which will be on display from now until March 17, 2024.

In addition to McKenzie's artwork, the exhibit also features writings from current and former inmates, painting a picture of the reality of prison life that not everyone is unfortunate enough to see.