Curatorial Projects > The Prison Project (2008)

Larry Machado
Bone Shaker, 1981-82
Mixed media including gopher, rat, cat, mouse bones, and abalone chips
Courtesy William James Association

When Machado was an inmate at California Men’s Colony at San Luis Obispo, he spied some dead and decayed rodent’s bones on the confined yard of the prison. Instead of drawing a dream motorcycle, he combed through the prison yard to find the bones he needed to create this sculpture. In the 1982 Prison Arts Project competition, Bone Shaker took first place in the Folk Art category.

It is currently part of the William James Association’s archives of artwork created through its Prison Arts Project founded in 1977.

The Prison Project

February 20 - March 29, 2008
Intersection for the Arts
San Francisco, CA