Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program collections, 2015.196.868.2c, Connecticut Historical…

Interview with Ray Materson

IntervieweeInterview with Ray Materson American, born 1954

InterviewerInterviewed by Rebecca Joseph

DateJune 1992

Mediumreformatted digital file from audio cassette

DimensionsDuration (tape 1, side 1): 48 Minutes, 15 Seconds
Duration (tape 1, side 2): 41 Minutes, 7 Seconds
Duration (tape 2, side 1): 47 Minutes, 54 Seconds
Duration (tape 2, side 2): 41 Minutes, 16 Seconds
Duration (total runtime): 2 Hours, 58 Minutes, 50 Seconds

ClassificationsInformation Artifacts

Credit LineConnecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program collections

DescriptionTwo audio cassette tape recordings of an interview with incarcerated artist Raymond Materson. He was interviewed in June 1992 by CCHAP Director Rebecca Joseph in preparation for the exhibit "I'm Out Of Here Every Day" at the Institute for Community Research.

Object number2015.196.868.1-.2

CopyrightIn Copyright

NotesSubject Note: “I’m Out Of Here Every Day” was an exhibit of twenty intricate miniature tapestries sewn by artist Raymond Materson. A collaboration of the Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program at the Institute for Community Research with the Connecticut Prison Association’s Correctional Art Program, the exhibit was installed at the Institute for Community Research gallery in Hartford from July 9-August 14, 1992. The exhibit explored the creativity and resourcefulness of Connecticut prison inmates challenged by time, uniformity, and limited material resources to discover freedom through reflection and self-expression.

From the exhibit press release written by CCHAP Director Rebecca Joseph, exhibit curator: “Although the employment of materials for other than their intended use within the prison walls is forbidden, inmate artists frequently transform everyday objects into useful raw materials and tools. Raymond Materson, who is serving a fifteen-year sentence at the Connecticut Correctional Institute in Somers, creates the detailed polychrome embroideries featured in the exhibit with nylon thread unwound from socks, shoelace threads, and fabric from boxer shorts and other clothing. For Materson, a food container becomes an embroidery hoop, rolled paper is used for bobbins, and nail clippers as scissors.

Inmate artists’ work frequently narrates their personal histories inside and outside of prison as well as their hopes for the future. Materson describes his activity as ‘a mental and spiritual means of escape.’ From his start in 1988 with the emblem of the University of Michigan Wolverines, Materson’s subject matter has grown to include miniature interpretations of the works of famous playwrights, Impressionist painters, and icons of American popular culture. More personal topics of substance abuse, interpersonal relationships, and religiosity also appear in his work. Materson attributes his range to his urge to expand his images beyond the flatness and invariability of the prison environment.

As an inmate artist, Materson was unusual in that his work rapidly gained acceptance and recognition outside of prison confines. A feature article in the September 1992 issue of Fiber Arts Magazine publicized his work. Chicago’s Carl Hammer Gallery, a major promotor of ‘outsider art,’ began offering Materson’s miniatures to collectors in the early 1990s. The International Museum of Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico purchased several pieces for a 1995 exhibit of art from recycled materials. His pieces were also displayed in Connecticut schools along with the strong anti-drug message he advocated.” The Connecticut Historical Society holds a Materson tapestry, “Blessed Be The Peacemakers,” (2015.225.0) originally donated to the Institute for Community Research, as well as a signed print of one of his works.

Additional materials exist in the CCHAP archive for this artist.

Cataloging Note: This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-245929-OMS-20.

Subject Terms