Bloomington's 7 Day Forecast

with his sketchbook open on the desk in the correctional facility's classroom which contains the drawing of “Mother Nature.” The sketchbook has multiple drawings of “Mother Nature,” however, some faces fully drawn, others just outlined and unfinished. He sat there quiet and to himself, yearning for his artwork to be seen by other individuals.

Russell said the art class gives him access to art books, better lighting and access to material he can’t have in his dorm. It also makes him feel free and gives him motivation, he said.

“It helps clear my mind,” Russell said.

Last semester, the inmates were given a feedback form to see how the class can be improved, and they all said they wished the class time was longer, Nell said.

The hope is to expand the program to other state prisons, and they are currently planning to have another exhibition, which is an opportunity to showcase the inmate’s artwork to the Bloomington community, Nell said. ***

Miriam Northcutt Bohmert, IU director of graduate studies and associate professor in criminal justice, said she thinks the art class at the correctional facility would have similar success to a general educational program in a prison. She also said the art class could be therapeutic.

As art and music therapy benefits everyone, it’ll likely also benefit inmates who statistically have higher rates of trauma, Bohmert said.

“I would expect it (IUPAI) to be a very positive, great thing for people in the prison,” she said.

Inmates can lose their purpose in life by being dis- connected from the people they care about, their jobs, their homes and all the things in their life they were proud of, Bohmert said.

With 95% of inmates who get released, Bohmert said, it’s reassuring to know that the places where people are imprisoned help them become a better, healthier member of the community.

“When you give someone a purpose and a goal — like their purpose is to finish their GED or their purpose is to do this book study with people — I think that provides meaning and support, and something they want to do and something that makes them feel respected and valued. That’s what drives the change,” she said.

Past the gravel paths and the brick buildings and tall metal fences at the facility stands the reentry building. There, about 20 inmates meet on Tuesdays from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. for a 16week drawing and writing class. They work inside a room that looks like a high school classroom with one wall filled with paintings of the American flag and a bald eagle, and an adjacent one decorated with colors of yellow and orange like a sunset.

In the classroom that holds desks, chairs and a whiteboard, the inmates were engaged with IUPAI’s writing instructor Destin Hubble’s lecture on descriptive writing on April 4.

After the lecture, they had one-on-one time with the other instructors to continue to work on their handmade book, their final project for the class, and a few of them including Russell were eager to show their work.

SEE ART PAGE 4

Dining According to IU Bloomington Today, at the IMU, The Mix, Quarry Pie Co., Union Market and Starbucks will be open throughout the summer. Sugar and Spice, The Tudor Room, The Chocolate Moose, The Globe and Lantern will be closed but will open back up on June 4. At Wells Library, the Bookmarket Eatery will be closed for the summer. Campus cafes at the Eskenazi Museum of Art, Ballentine Hall and O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs will be open until July 31.

IMU

According to IU Bloomington Today, the IMU will undergo many renovations and upgrades this summer. Some of the upgrades include the bookstore receiving an “aesthetic” change, bathroom upgrades, two all-gender restrooms will be added, as well as 100 new seats for students to study and hang out, and the parking lot right next to the IMU will be redone. The IMU renovations are anticipated to be completed before the start of the fall semester in August.

SEE SUMMER BREAK, PAGE 4

Baseball

OLIVIA BIANCO | IDS Sophomore third baseman Josh Pyne prepares to hit at the plate February 28, 2023, against Butler University at Bart Kaufman in Bloomington, Indiana. Indiana will play the University of Evansville Tuesday and Michigan State University Thursday.

Josh Pyne earns Big Ten weekly award

By Matt Byrne matbyrne@iu.edu | @matthewbyrne1

Indiana baseball is riding high after posting a 4-0 record last week. The action was headlined by the program’s first sweep of Purdue since 2016, with the Hoosiers’ 51 runs marking a new record in the rivalry.

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SOURCE: ETHAN | ETBSTEWA@IU.EDU GRAPHICS BY: THE WEATHER CHANNEL