Locked Achievements: Poems and Artwork from Chicago Incarcerated Youth by Elgin Smith

LºCKED ACHIEVEMENTS

Poems and Artwork from Chicago's Incarcerated Youth

Locked Achievements

An exhibition and collaboration between The Beautiful Cat and Stomping Grounds Literary Arts Initiative

Curated by Nate Olison and Elgin Bokari Smith

Published by The Beautiful Cat

1070 W Granville Ave Ste 1

Chicago, IL 60660

TheBCat.Gallery

Editor

Mari Miller

Designer

Mari Miller

Curators

Elgin Bokari Smith and Nate Olison

Locked Achievements

All writings and artwork © the artists and authors

Printed on Turtle Island, the land of The Council of the Three Fires

First Printing

Set in Sixten by NM type and Ubuntu by Dalton Maag

ThE CHiLDREN aRe ALWAyS OURS

How many times have you heard someone say, “the children are our future?” But the assumption was that only certain children counted. As James Baldwin said, “The children are always ours, every single one of them, all over the globe; and I am beginning to suspect that whoever is incapable of recognizing this may be incapable of morality.”

All children, especially those at the margins of society, are deserving of happy and secure lives, of thriving. The Stomping Grounds Literary Arts Initiative (SGLAI) helps empower people through the art of storytelling, with a focus on incarcerated youth. Through SGLAI programming, children get a chance to produce their own songs, publish their own comics, and realize just how powerful their voices and stories can be.

Locked Achievements showcases the work done in SGLAI teacher Nate Olison’s classes. While Nate’s own work focuses on helping children tell their stories through comics, his students are free to explore their ideas with a variety of media, from poetry to music production. They even came up with the title of this exhibtion, highlighting how even though they’re locked up, they can still achieve meaningful things.

The Beautiful Cat is proud and excited to present Locked Achievements for our innaugural exhibition. As a gallery in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood, situated between several immigrant communities, we focus on underrepresented, excluded, and underresourced communities, creatives, and art forms. Locked Achievements exemplifies these values and our hopes for the future, a future free from incarceration, where being creative and making art is seen as a right, not a privilege only accessible to people of certain income brackets.

Thank you for supporting our work and the vital work of Stomping Grounds Literary Arts Initiative. We also invite you to support the individual artists featured in this exhibition through direct monetary contributions. You can find links to their SoundClouds, GoFundMe campaigns, and more on our website, TheBCat.Gallery.

In Solidarity,

Mari Miller + Quincy Bradford

The Beautiful Cat

Untitled Lenarius

MisundErstood

You cant blame my past no more I come from the trenches some said ill never be a superstar but I know i’m different a lot of people doubt me because my situation but don’t understand what i’ve been through or what i’m going through just off that they don’t want to listen to what I got to say because they look and see another person from the hood but what they don’t know is that we are all able to learn and be smart and go somewhere in life we just don’t get enough support or options but if you take time out your day and go sit with someone from the hood we really got a lot of knowledge we just get left out because we not what they want they want the rich people but they get mad and slam us with football numbers but don’t wanna give us any help they put the guns drugs on the street them blame us instead of helping us and see how smart we really are we could be the next person to do something big instead they want to leave us out like we are nothing don’t give us job opportunists or places for the kids so they don’t fall into the streets they just don’t understand the pain we go through

Diovanni

REACHING YOUR POTENTIAL

ThRºUGh

ART

Stomping Grounds Literary Arts Initiative (SGLAI) was created to support young people who are in conflict with the law and facing incarceration. Our work goes beyond running incubator spaces inside juvenile facilities—we provide mentorship, instill values, and foster creativity through visual arts, creative writing, and audio production. For many of the youth we serve, trying something new comes with uncertainty and fear. Society has often placed barriers in their path, making it difficult to explore creative outlets that don’t offer immediate guarantees. In our classrooms, we encourage them to just try— because every attempt at selfexpression is a step toward freedom.

Elgin Bokari Smith: Founder, Executive Director

Our workshops also serve as a form of mitigating evidence, showcasing the growth and achievements of young people during their time in our program. The creative work they produce—art, poetry, music—can be presented in court as proof of their progress, helping to shift the narrative from their mistakes to their potential. This is why opportunities like this gallery exhibition are so important.

Imagine being a young person experimenting with something for the first time—writing a poem, drawing a portrait, recording a song. Now, imagine that same drawing ending up in a prestigious gallery, that poem being performed in a competition and making it to the semifinals, or that song being nominated for an award. For an incarcerated youth, these moments can be life-changing. They serve as tangible proof that their voices matter, that their work resonates with the outside world—even while they are still inside.

Beyond personal growth, these artistic accomplishments can also influence court cases. In the past, I’ve been called to testify on behalf of young people, sharing the incredible work they’ve created in our classes. Nothing brings me more joy than advocating for them by highlighting their talent and dedication.

SGLAI currently runs programs inside three secure facilities in Illinois: IYC Warrenville, IYC Chicago, and the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center. Each class begins with a check-in, where youth rate how they’re feeling on a scale of 1 to 10. We then review our classroom values, recite our community creed, and engage in a warm-up activity before diving into independent creative projects.

Looking ahead, we aim to expand our team, bringing in more talented mentors to inspire and guide our students. We plan to host more gallery exhibitions like this one, continue advocating for incarcerated youth, produce a mixtape featuring their original music, and develop our own sound engineering company, Audiovisual & Productions.

We hope this exhibition offers a glimpse into the transformative power of art within incarcerated spaces. Through creativity, these young people are reclaiming their voices, rewriting their stories, and building futures they may have never imagined possible. Thank you for supporting their journey.

Part of MY story

Kamyjah is a smart, funny, and sweet person. She cares about her love ones. She love to make people laugh and loves to read people. She dislikes the police and how they handle things she dislikes unloyal people Her goals are to get out of jail and get a job focus on her family and make make money... When she was in middle school she was stuck between playing ball and hanging outside 3with her friends Well when she made up her mind she ended up hanging with the guys outside and ended up going to an alternative school She was trying to go back to regular school and trying to get her grades up and play ball again but nun of that went well she gave up because problems at home plus she wasn’t focused on school she was focused on her homies and outside

She ended up going to jail because of something out of her control. Now some people calls her a bad person and a murderer But thats not the real her.

Kamyjah

Only the people that knows the real her knows that shes funny, cool smooth kind of laid back, and smart.

LOST iN ThE SªUCE

Don't get lost in the sauce pay attention and take yo time Because time aint bought family or not aint nun free its gone have to cost got my own spend my own I feel like a boss so numb to pain my heart cold like frost but I through the darkness got lost

Rashad M

Untitled

M. Cassius

FREEDOM

My family I need them sitting in a cell waiting on freedom constantly fighting demons can’t wait till the day I’m leaving locked up for no reason wanna change but in the deep end.

Finding your TALENT with Deshawn J.

Art has the power to reveal hidden talents and express deep emotions. In a recent conversation between Elgin Bokari and young artist Deshawn J., we explored his digital artwork, Lost Young Man.

The Story Behind Lost Young Man

Deshawn created Lost Young Man while learning how to use Clip Studio, a digital art software. He depicted himself within his neighborhood, creating an emotional expression of his struggles and aspirations.

“Everything I put on the page, that’s what I was feeling, what I’m going through,” Deshawn shared. The artwork reflects his experiences as a young man navigating his way through life, and while the final product didn’t completely match his initial vision, he was proud of how it turned out. “It ain’t turn out how I expected it to turn out, but it turned out basically what I was feeling,” he explained.

A Newfound Passion for Art

Creating Lost Young Man was a transformative experience for Deshawn. Through learning how to make digital art, he realized his artistic potential. “That is probably a skill that you never knew you had, so you might as well give it a shot,” he reflected. He is now considering pursuing art more seriously, potentially even as a career.

Recognition and Future Aspirations

When told his work would be hung in The Beautiful Cat he said, “I just thought I was drawing it to draw it, but I knew it probably could have went somewhere.” This milestone has encouraged him to share his art more widely and explore new creative opportunities.

Beyond Lost Young Man, Deshawn’s work is making waves in other spaces as well. Another piece of his, Mad Cover, was submitted for an award, further proving that his talent is gaining traction.

Looking AHead

Deshawn’s journey raises important questions: How does Lost Young Man resonate with you? What emotions or experiences does it evoke? How do you relate to the search for identity and self-discovery?

For Deshawn, the path ahead is full of possibilities, and we’re excited to see where his artistic journey takes him next. As his work continues to gain visibility, it serves as a testament to the power of art in selfdiscovery and personal growth.

WhAt I wish..

I wish when I was younger I told my dad how I felt about him being locked up and how I felt like his absence really messed me up how I felt like he chose the streets over me, how he wasn’t there for me when I need him most, when I needed him to protect me from all the things that hurt me, how I felt like he wasn’t trying to come home to me and how I felt like not having my dad has stopped me from being able to have healthy relationships how I hate he left my mama out here alone to take care of all the kids he helped make and how I feel like he isn’t a real man because he doesn’t provide for or take care of his family..

Azreya H.

Anthony G. Untitled

40 DAys & 40 NiGhTs

Rain can be beauty, but rain can also bring pain pain comes with a definition that will never be filled.. From crying kids to being stabbed in the leg, but pain can also be in the mind taunting you and making you feel like a mime Memories flood the mind just like rain floods the gate, The gate to memory lane can also be the gate to monsoons of Rain Pain comes and goes but never your woes when rain floods the brain we think of days without pain, The sunny days with laughter that can turn into a not so happily ever after …....After that’s a funny thing, when will that come? Because believe me all I feel is pain, While sitting here watching this rain.

Dahlia

A waLk THaT DoEsn’t StoP

Walking can mean different things like

A physical walk like “walking the dog”

A mental walk through this thing we call life

The physical walk is easy for some of us

But

Some of us, we take the mental walk through life

At the end of the night I take a mental walk of each day

And everyday comes back with something new

A different anxiety

A different thing to worry about

Another headache

But when I lay down at night, and think about my day

I’m sitting on a bed screwed to the floor

So when I take a walk

It doesn’t end

It just starts over

H. FREEDOM

Marquese

For my brothers that I lost I feel the hurt, but its a lesson live everyday like its my last I can’t be held down by depression I just sit back and roll a wood cause it helps with all the stressing I thank God for first day outs cause some aint never coming home I would Facetime Jhonny everyday if heaven had a phone got so deep up in these streets that it wasn’t safe for me at home I try to write bout how I feel but it just turns Into a poem

AChIeViNG NEW HEIGHTS With Dereion S.

Art can be an unexpected gateway to self-discovery. In a conversation between Elgin Bokari and young artist Dereion S., we explored his digital artwork, Achieving New Heights, a piece that marks his first foray into digital art and represents his journey of overcoming obstacles.

The Story Behind Achieving New Heights

Dereion created Achieving New Heights using Clip Studio and other digital tools. Initially hesitant about working in this medium, he gradually gained confidence as he learned the process. The piece became a personal expression of perseverance and growth.

“Getting finished with it and looking at it after it was done—that’s what I’m really most proud of about the piece,” Dereion reflected. Although he found certain elements, like drawing human figures, to be challenging, he was ultimately pleased with the outcome.

A New CreativE Path

Before this project, Dereion primarily focused on music, creating mixtapes and cover art. However, this experience opened his eyes to new creative possibilities. Inspired by artists like Cole Bennett, he now sees digital art as another avenue for expression, particularly in connection with his music career.

“If I can do it, you can do it. That’s all I got,” Dereion said, emphasizing the accessibility of digital art for beginners.

Public Recognition and Future AspiraTions

Dereions work is now on display at The Beautiful Cat, a milestone that has fueled his excitement about the creative process. “If you got an obstacle in your way, you can jump over it or move through it and achieve a new height,” he explained, reinforcing the central theme of his piece.

As visitors view Achieving New Heights in the gallery, we invite them to reflect: How does this piece make you feel? Can you relate to the idea of overcoming obstacles in your own life? How do you think digital art and music intersect as creative forms?

Dereion’s journey is a testament to the power of trying something new and pushing beyond comfort zones. His story challenges all of us to explore untapped talents and embrace creative risks.

TEACHING WITH EMPATHY

Nate Olison: Teaching Artist Comic Illustrator

Top left: A Seed of Hope

Bottom right: Kingdoms concept art

I love STºRYTELLING because it's a chance to reimagine some of the most intimate, impactful parts of my life by weaving them into a COMMUNAL experience that can be shared with the world.

My workshops have always been closer to collaborations than they are to classes, and I think it’s because I never set out to be an educator. Due to a twist of fate, I found myself coaching a high school poetry slam team one day, fell in love with the work, and never looked back. I learned 95% of what I know about pedagogy on the job. I focus less on the quality of my students’ end product, and more on the quality of my students’ creative process. Most of my students aren’t pursuing art as a primary focus, so the goal is rarely to fast-track them to technical mastery. In my opinion, the highest value they can get from me is the experience of “successfully” completing a work that they’re proud of that communicates something they’re passionate about.

My friend Nikki Patin once told me that, “writing a book is the process of becoming the person who can write the book,” and this sums up my feelings on the creative process. When we’re making art, the art is making us too. I think the secondary function of art is to communicate in a way that transcends our everyday interactions. I come from a poetry background, so to me, what you’re choosing to communicate is part of the craft too. The emphasis of this workshop was creative decision making. As a facilitator it was my job to ensure that the level of difficulty students experienced stayed within the flow channel; challenging enough so as to not be boring and easy enough to avoid causing anxiety. Starting with a huge library of anatomically accurate poses that span the gamut of genders and body types, the guys picked the figure and gesture that spoke to them. From there, they traced over those poses in Clip Studio Paint- this step is more about familiarizing yourself with the software. By the end of that step, students were comfortable with the software and basic drawing mechanics. Which allowed them to spend the lion’s share of the time making bold creative choices and receiving specific feedback/assistance on how to execute those choices. I measure the success of the program by how successful my students feel at the end. All of us are really proud of how everything turned out.

LOCKED ACHIEVEMENTS

A Collaboration between The Beautiful Cat and Stomping Grounds Literary Arts Initiative

Curated by Nate Olison and Elgin Bokari Smith

Locked Achievements is The Beautiful Cat’s innaugural exhibition. It features artwork and poetry from young people in Chicago who have been incarcerated. Every child on Earth is full of potential, and that potential can easily be stolen when children are sent to prison. No child deserves this.

Stomping Grounds Literary Arts Initiative (SGLAI) was founded by Elgin Bokari Smith to help children reach their potential and find their voice through the arts, be that visual art, poetry, music, or more. Through SGLAI, Nate Olison teaches art classes for teenagers at Chicago area jails. The works featured in the show and in this exhibition catalog were made in Olison’s classes. They feature powerful narratives of pain and perseverance, of depression and hope for better lives, of freedom and humanity.

Abolition now. Abolition forever. Until we achieve that more humane world, everyone must continue to support our children and help them realize the power of their voices and their artistic potential.